The Perfect Power Grid and the Future of Clean Energy ?

Lol this is canadian dollars which is 3b usd, and its a fleet of four reactors that use new technology, theres also many other factors like Canada having one of the strictest nuclear licensing laws and additional infrastructure being built

I gave examples of cheaper ones

Just because x buys y for a larger amount dont mean its the standards and they dont have the same electricity needs

Here are cheaper ones


Heres another one

listen i get what you mean but these guys wont invest in nuclear bro , just hope that we have oil, coal and gas that's the only hope for now Somalia is 50 years behind the world, they are addicted to building hotels, houses ,airports etc. instead of just starting from scratch and urban planing, building a sewer system water treatment plants, upgrading the grid, roads etc.
 
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Idilinaa

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Yeah, apparently in 2024 11% of the grid was powered by Solar which is higher than I thought, according to the data it made electricity 50% cheaper in some areas but its only a temporary solution

I think it must be higher than that, because they announced that by the end of 2025 80% of would be green energy.
1755540628127.png


They are even operating a 50MW biogas plant, and from the information available on several regional and local energy providers’ websites, it’s clear that many rural areas and towns now receive most of their electricity from hybrid renewable projects

Also are they really investing into AI datacenters ? 😂 😂

Yeah to boost computing, processing and storage power . They are building 11 of them across the country.

Think how much electricity data centers need so the fact that they can power them using solar power is pretty impressive.
Watch this:


In addition to that 85% of their equipment is powered by Solar energy already


You didn't bother to read the full thing I addressed all of this in the thread I linked

Gas powered generators aren't efficient its the reason we have the most ridiculously expensive energy in Africa, natural gas and coal arent nearly as efficient and clean as the other alternatives. Nuclear is getting cheaper as well

1 kg uranium = 24,000,000 kWh
1 kg coal = 8 kWh
1 kg natural gas = 14 kWh

1 kg uranium = 3,000,000 more efficient than coal
1 kg uranium = 1,700,000 more efficient than natural gas

Btw upgrading the grid in Somalia isn't just an ambition like oil its literally a necessity, I read that people cant even have basic things like poultry farms because of the price of electricity, its setting development back tremendously

In Somalia Electricity costs USD 0.41 per kWh and some private providers even charge up to USD 1.50 per kWh

To show you how ridiculous this is, in Ethiopia its USD 0.005 per kWh

Somalia is on par or even lower than Burundi when it comes to electricity, more people have access to electricity tho

View attachment 370778

Look at how bad this is, its literally a makeshift grid people made in a few years as a temporary solution, should be fixed asap

View attachment 370779

These graphs are extremely misleading because Somalia’s electricity system is decentralized. It’s tied to multiple microgrids operated by metro grid providers, not to a single national grid. These aren’t makeshift or temporary solutions they are fully localized grids.
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The graphs confuse national energy scale with local access and efficiency.

In fact, local access and efficiency are precisely why electricity coverage has expanded so rapidly across both urban and rural areas. It’s also why Somalia experiences far fewer blackouts and power shortages compared to our neighbors like Kenya and Ethiopia.

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This is why the world is beginning to recognize that localized microgrids are more efficient and reliable than centralized national grids. In many ways, Somalia has technologically leapfrogged ahead in this regard.

On pricing, Ethiopia and Kenya often face higher electricity costs than Somalia. Online reporting, however, is unreliable figures are often outdated or based on generalized assumptions that fail to reflect the realities on the ground.

It’s not only tariffs that determine costs, but also the overall pricing structure itself.
 
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Idilinaa

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Saxib, nuclear energy requires a skilled labor workforce and 1 plant costs in the tens of billions of dollars . Renewable energy is a scam. Somalia supposedly has oil, coal, and gas use these resources first. Btw, Somalia is a shithole no urban planning, no infrastructure, and no proper governance. Imagine installing a few thousand solar panels, only for a starving person to steal and sell them or some Mooryaan, or a crazy arsenal man decided to blow up a nuclear power plant lol.
If you’ve read Almond Energy’s website, you’d know they have experts with over 25 years of experience and have been working in Somalia since 2019 on knowledge transfer and local capacity-building. Nuclear energy is far cheaper to set up today thanks to technological advancements, and there’s also broad technical support from international nuclear organizations. --->>> https://almond-energy.com/

As for Somalia being a “shithole,” the reality is very different: most people have improved housing, internet, electricity, clean water, and access to vibrant local markets. The private sector is dynamic, employing thousands and delivering essential services.

The government is functional in many respects and actively engaged in numerous public–private partnership projects. Across the country, new roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, parks, drainage systems, water supply networks, and other key infrastructure continue to be built.

The main challenge has been the narrow tax base (due to a large informal economy), but the private sector has consistently stepped up, often co-financing development projects with local authorities.

On renewable energy: Somalia has already rolled out solar power nationwide , powering storage facilities, street lights, boreholes, irrigation, and community water systems.
1755546091436.png

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Solar installations began in 2016:

This video that talks about it and it also features wind energy:


From 2016–2018, Somali banks aggressively financed solar projects, allocating funds to multiple companies and organizations.
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That’s nearly a decade of successful deployment. Renewable energy is not a scam , it’s working, and the focus now is on scaling it up further.

Theft is not the problem you imagine. Nobody is stealing or selling solar panels. In fact, theft rates are low in Somalia and “Mooryaans” are a relic of the 1990s. Communities see solar as an economic lifeline: it supports businesses, expands storage capacity, and drives livelihoods.

Today, hybrid solar systems are increasingly paired with storage batteries and backup diesel or biomass, providing 24/7 coverage.

Low IQ rant ngl

When people on this site go on these diatribes, it actually gives me the opportunity to make it educational by correcting them.
 
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Idilinaa

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This is why the world is beginning to recognize that localized microgrids are more efficient and reliable than centralized national grids. In many ways, Somalia has technologically leapfrogged ahead in this regard.

@Barkhadle1520 Going back to your first post, if you look at that picture, when it comes to distributed/decentralized systems there is no assumption that solar power alone is expected to run the entire country. What’s actually being rolled out is a hybrid system, where energy comes from multiple sources (gas/diesel, nuclear, wind, solar, thermal, geothermal, etc.), all combined and tied to battery storage.

Somalia now has a unique advantage going forward because its grid system and infrastructure have been built to be scalable, low-cost, reliable, and future-ready.


Meanwhile, local electricity access in countries like Kenya is still very poor due to their reliance on a centralized national grid:

The problem with these centralized setups is that each plant or region often relies on a single energy source, leaving no backup or flexibility to switch to another. Hydropower, wind, and other renewables are especially vulnerable to weather and seasonal changes:
Almost 70 percent of Kenya's electricity is generated by two water-dependent sources: hydropower and fossil fuels. According to Business Daily, the drought has caused Kenya's reserve energy margin—the amount of energy needed to meet peak demands— to drop to 4.4 percent, far lower than the recommended 15 percent needed to minimize risk of blackouts.
Kenya isn't the only country whose electricity supplies have been impacted by scarce water: In 2016 India's coal power sector—which is highly dependent on water for cooling—suffered profit losses of, at minimum, $350 million due to severe drought.

Both countries have constant power outages.

In Ethiopia it really hits households hard:
The study underscores that connection to electricity is not enough; the reliability of its supply is also important.

By contrast, in Somalia you don’t see reports of widespread blackouts or communities living next to power plants without electricity. Power runs continuously throughout the year, thanks to the decentralized microgrid model and hybrid systems supported by battery storage and access reaches people because it's localized.

I’d even argue Somalia’s electricity infrastructure is actually more modernized, since it’s continuously updated and expanded. As I explained in another thread months ago:
You mean centralized national grid. They instead of have localized microgrids run by private companies instead of state centralize grid for the whole country. This actually works in Somalia's favor because power outages are more easily contained and restored quickly.

And decentralized power generation = less reliance on a single grid, making it more resilient

But i believe it a lot has to do with because it is private it has reduced corruption and better efficiency.
Somali electricity companies continuously upgrade their infrastructure because they are profit-driven, they cannot afford outdated, inefficient systems.

In countries like Kenya and Ethiopia, government run electricity companies suffer from corruption, mismanagement, and political interference.

State controlled power monopolies often refuse to upgrade infrastructure, leading to frequent blackouts, rationing, and energy crises.

Somalia avoids this problem because there is no government monopoly on power, only private companies competing to provide the best service.
Basically, to put it simply. No government inefficiency means better service delivery.
 
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@Barkhadle1520 Going back to your first post, if you look at that picture, when it comes to distributed/decentralized systems there is no assumption that solar power alone is expected to run the entire country. What’s actually being rolled out is a hybrid system, where energy comes from multiple sources (gas/diesel, nuclear, wind, solar, thermal, geothermal, etc.), all combined and tied to battery storage.

Somalia now has a unique advantage going forward because its grid system and infrastructure have been built to be scalable, low-cost, reliable, and future-ready.

Meanwhile, local electricity access in countries like Kenya is still very poor due to their reliance on a centralized national grid:




Because each plant or area relies on a single energy source makes it problematic as well because there is no back up or way to switch to another source:

The problem with these centralized setups is that each plant or region often relies on a single energy source, leaving no backup or flexibility to switch to another. Hydropower, wind, and other renewables are especially vulnerable to weather and seasonal changes:



Both countries have constant power outages.

In Ethiopia:


By contrast, in Somalia you don’t see reports of widespread blackouts or communities living next to power plants without electricity. Power runs continuously throughout the year, thanks to the decentralized microgrid model and hybrid systems supported by battery storage.

I’d even argue Somalia’s electricity infrastructure is actually more modernized, since it’s continuously updated and expanded. As I explained in another thread months ago:
I agree that energy sources need to be diversified but I highly doubt your claim that electricity is way cheaper now, maybe in xamar it went down a bit
 
@Barkhadle1520 Going back to your first post, if you look at that picture, when it comes to distributed/decentralized systems there is no assumption that solar power alone is expected to run the entire country. What’s actually being rolled out is a hybrid system, where energy comes from multiple sources (gas/diesel, nuclear, wind, solar, thermal, geothermal, etc.), all combined and tied to battery storage.

Somalia now has a unique advantage going forward because its grid system and infrastructure have been built to be scalable, low-cost, reliable, and future-ready.


Meanwhile, local electricity access in countries like Kenya is still very poor due to their reliance on a centralized national grid:

Because each plant or area relies on a single energy source makes it problematic as well because there is no back up or way to switch to another source.

The problem with these centralized setups is that each plant or region often relies on a single energy source, leaving no backup or flexibility to switch to another. Hydropower, wind, and other renewables are especially vulnerable to weather and seasonal changes:



Both countries have constant power outages.

In Ethiopia it really hits households hard:


By contrast, in Somalia you don’t see reports of widespread blackouts or communities living next to power plants without electricity. Power runs continuously throughout the year, thanks to the decentralized microgrid model and hybrid systems supported by battery storage and access reaches people because it's localized.

I’d even argue Somalia’s electricity infrastructure is actually more modernized, since it’s continuously updated and expanded. As I explained in another thread months ago:
Where is that first picture from ? Also are you saying the electricity data is also under estimated or something

I agree that decentralized is better, but thermal energy needs to be scrapped its too inefficient and expensive; wind and natural gas are good alternatives
 

Idilinaa

Out to Pasture
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Where is that first picture from ? Also are you saying the electricity data is also under estimated or something

I agree that decentralized is better, but thermal energy needs to be scrapped its too inefficient and expensive; wind and natural gas are good alternatives
The picture is from this

Yeah it's not only underestimated but also misleading. Because decentralized microgrids reduce transmission losses compared to centralized grids as well.

Right now Somalia employs in many places including Mogadishu and Hargeisa, a hybrid solar systems which are increasingly paired with storage batteries and backup diesel or biomass, to provide 24/7 coverage.

In Garowe they have a hybrid-wind-solar energy system that provides 90% of the cities energy since 2016 and they set up the micro grid in just 30 days with the use of cutting edge technologies.
In the heart of Garowe, northeastern Somalia, a groundbreaking transformation has
unfolded as the National Energy Corporation of Somalia (NECSOM) spearheads a
microgrid upgrade. In just 30 days, the region now meets a remarkable 90% of its
electricity demand through a harmonious blend of renewables and cutting-edge energy
storage.

I don't think they use thermal in any place from what i know as of yet.

I agree that energy sources need to be diversified but I highly doubt your claim that electricity is way cheaper now, maybe in xamar it went down a bit

Prices are not just dependent on tariffs; many factors play a role, including competition, generation costs, grid efficiency, policy, and environmental conditions.

That’s why, despite the fact that tariffs are meant to be low or that power generation from renwables are high in Kenya/Ethiopia, prices remain high:

Ethiopia’s price struggles just sound clownish to me:
1755554825577.png


Kenya and Ethiopia's approach to solving the energy problem is beyond moronic to me for a different reason: instead of doing it like Somalia at low cost and fast, they went into debt (Kenya) or sank billions into pointless mega/vanity projects, which forces them to jack up the prices.

In Kenya, profits from the state electricity company go into debt service, further driving up prices and contributing to financial strain:

Going back to Somalia, you can see this effect in Bosaso, where prices shot up after a government-private sector merger created a monopoly. In contrast, places like Garowe have multiple private metro grid providers competing, which helps keep prices down, improve service delivery, enhance grid efficiency, and encourage providers to find cheaper alternatives.

Overall, electricity costs have been falling across most of the country, and they are likely to continue decreasing as infrastructure improves and renewable energy is further integrated.

Prices actually dropped to $0.20/kWh, then rose to $0.41/kWh during COVID, so I expect they will sharply fall again in the coming years.
 
The picture is from this

Yeah it's not only underestimated but also misleading. Because decentralized microgrids reduce transmission losses compared to centralized grids as well.

Right now Somalia employs in many places including Mogadishu and Hargeisa, a hybrid solar systems which are increasingly paired with storage batteries and backup diesel or biomass, to provide 24/7 coverage.

In Garowe they have a hybrid-wind-solar energy system that provides 90% of the cities energy since 2016 and they set up the micro grid in just 30 days with the use of cutting edge technologies.


I don't think they use thermal in any place from what i know as of yet.



Prices are not just dependent on tariffs; many factors play a role, including competition, generation costs, grid efficiency, policy, and environmental conditions.

That’s why, despite the fact that tariffs are meant to be low or that power generation from renwables are high in Kenya/Ethiopia, prices remain high:

Ethiopia’s price struggles just sound clownish to me:
View attachment 370831

Kenya and Ethiopia's approach to solving the energy problem is beyond moronic to me for a different reason: instead of doing it like Somalia at low cost and fast, they went into debt (Kenya) or sank billions into pointless mega/vanity projects, which forces them to jack up the prices.

In Kenya, profits from the state electricity company go into debt service, further driving up prices and contributing to financial strain:

Going back to Somalia, you can see this effect in Bosaso, where prices shot up after a government-private sector merger created a monopoly. In contrast, places like Garowe have multiple private metro grid providers competing, which helps keep prices down, improve service delivery, enhance grid efficiency, and encourage providers to find cheaper alternatives.

Overall, electricity costs have been falling across most of the country, and they are likely to continue decreasing as infrastructure improves and renewable energy is further integrated.

Prices actually dropped to $0.20/kWh, then rose to $0.41/kWh during COVID, so I expect they will sharply fall again in the coming years.
After looking a bit into it, mini decentralized grids look nice on paper but its not going well in Somalia, basically providers buy their own old small diesel generators because its the cheapest option for them, and every operator sets prices to cover their own costs theres no price regulation from the governments but apparently they plan on making a gov agency to oversee it

Honestly in Somalias case decentralized grids are a disaster, mini grids shouldnt exist it should be two or three big companies providing electricity to the population, all competing to provide the lowest prices while getting their energy from renewables and not old diesel generators, there needs to be unified regional grids

Small time independent providers even play dirty tricks to keep the prices high and keep people from going for cheaper alternatives since they have the monopoly on the mini grid theyre managing, they charge people exhorbitant disconection fees that most cant afford look at this

 
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@Barkhadle1520 Going back to your first post, if you look at that picture, when it comes to distributed/decentralized systems there is no assumption that solar power alone is expected to run the entire country. What’s actually being rolled out is a hybrid system, where energy comes from multiple sources (gas/diesel, nuclear, wind, solar, thermal, geothermal, etc.), all combined and tied to battery storage.

Somalia now has a unique advantage going forward because its grid system and infrastructure have been built to be scalable, low-cost, reliable, and future-ready.


Meanwhile, local electricity access in countries like Kenya is still very poor due to their reliance on a centralized national grid:

The problem with these centralized setups is that each plant or region often relies on a single energy source, leaving no backup or flexibility to switch to another. Hydropower, wind, and other renewables are especially vulnerable to weather and seasonal changes:



Both countries have constant power outages.

In Ethiopia it really hits households hard:


By contrast, in Somalia you don’t see reports of widespread blackouts or communities living next to power plants without electricity. Power runs continuously throughout the year, thanks to the decentralized microgrid model and hybrid systems supported by battery storage and access reaches people because it's localized.

I’d even argue Somalia’s electricity infrastructure is actually more modernized, since it’s continuously updated and expanded. As I explained in another thread months ago:
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Idilinaa

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After looking a bit into it, mini decentralized grids look nice on paper but its not going well in Somalia, basically providers buy their own old small diesel generators because its the cheapest option for them, and every operator sets prices to cover their own costs theres no price regulation from the governments but apparently they plan on making a gov agency to oversee it

Honestly in Somalias case decentralized grids are a disaster, mini grids shouldnt exist it should be two or three big companies providing electricity to the population, all competing to provide the lowest prices while getting their energy from renewables and not old diesel generators, there needs to be unified regional grids

Small time independent providers even play dirty tricks to keep the prices high and keep people from going for cheaper alternatives since they have the monopoly on the mini grid theyre managing, they charge people exhorbitant disconection fees that most cant afford look at this


That’s not an accurate assessment of how Somalia’s electricity system works today. Mini decentralized grids are not “a disaster” they’re actually the reason Somalia has been able to achieve rapid electrification in both urban and rural areas, without suffering the kind of constant nationwide blackouts you see in Kenya and Ethiopia..

The idea that providers are just relying on “old diesel generators” is outdated. Since 2016, Somali banks and private companies have been aggressively investing in solar-hybrid systems, pairing renewables with battery storage and backup diesel to ensure 24/7 reliability. Providers like BECO, SomPower, and others have modernized their networks and continue to expand hybrid solar infrastructure


Decentralized microgrids are not about having “hundreds of tiny monopolies” they are competitive. In most cities like Mogadishu for example, the market over the years have expanded to include multiple providers operate (BECO, Mogadishu Power Supply, Tamarso, Blue Sky, Ileys, Kube Energy etc) which keeps prices down, pushes innovation, and forces companies to improve service quality.

Bosaso is the exception precisely because a merger reduced competition there, which proves the point: competition between many microgrid providers is healthier than a few centralized giants:
But it is instead (PEPCO) which is a merger between the government and Golis who was the main provider.

It follows the opposite trend.
1755581641647.png


I agree with the recommendations the local government should open up the market for more providers, you can't have only 1 provider, it's private sector competition that brings pricing down in other regions and in sectors like Telecom.

Mogadishu for example has 5 different main providers Kube, Mogadishu Power, Blue Sky, Goodlight Energy, Tamarso aside from BECO.

Puntland has many others as well, providing electricity to other parts like NEPCO, Badhan etc so there is plenty of options to let new players in.


Centralized grids, like in Kenya or Ethiopia, are far more vulnerable to systemic failures. One drought, one infrastructure fault, and entire regions lose power. Somalia doesn’t face those problems because its grids are decentralized and hybridized. This model is considered future ready by global energy experts , it’s scalable, flexible, and avoids the pitfalls of centralized national grids that are costly and debt driven.

As for disconnection fees or dirty tricks , those were probably issues nearly a decade ago, when regulation was weaker and grids were still transitioning.

Lastly, the video you’re citing is from 9 years ago, showing a single provider before BECO and others entered to install solar power and updated the networks. If you look at more recent evidence, you’ll see the picture is very different.

The same provider Mogadishu Power Supply that is featured in that old video not only modernized their systems, technological equipment but also now utilize Solar Energy:
1755580707011.png


They have also updated their terms of services:
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Here’s a video from 5 years ago where they explain how they are now saving money and providing cheaper electricity:
 
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Idilinaa

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Somalis as a society are not inherently qabilist or tribalist. If that were true, we wouldn’t see such a sophisticated and efficient internet sector, a vibrant private sector driven economy, and a functioning financial system because they would require us to trust and cooperate with one another beyond our clan.

Fukuyama, in his book “Trust: Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity,” argued that the key to prosperity lies in a society’s ability to organize effectively for commercial purposes without relying on blood ties or government intervention.

This pretty much typifies how Somali society operates .
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Fukuyama also explains that a low-trust society is essentially a tribal society.
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I realized when I looked at how other societies were organized, some were high trust like the Japanese, Germans, and Americans, while others were low-trust and actively required a centralized state to intervene, like in China, and Taiwan’s case. Otherwise, communities in those contexts wouldn’t be able to cooperate with each other at all. Many other African communities are also essentially tribal in nature and don’t trust anyone outside their family or tribal grouping, and without a strong government, cooperation breaks down. Most Africans neither trust eachother or their institutions.

Somalia’s problem isn’t a lack of trust, but rather an imbalance. We have high horizontal trust (between people, communities/clans/regions, and businesses) but low vertical trust (between people and political institutions).

If Somalis developed the same level of institutional trust that they already have at the social and business level, the country’s potential would take off like crazy. In our case, trust in political institutions really hinges on inclusion, transparency, and legitimacy, the greater these are, the higher the trust will be. Thats why i am really big on civic reform and strengthening local governance.

Thats mobile internet bro, wifi is shit

If I remember correctly the country was nominated for having the best mobile internet in africa, some people dont even use wifi because of how useless it is they just share data from their phone to their other devices
That’s not really accurate. Mobile internet is strong in Somalia, yes, but Wi-Fi isn’t “useless.” In fact, Wi-Fi is powered by the same 4G/5G backbone and fiber-optic infrastructure that telecoms like Hormuud, Somtel, and others have been rolling out. Many businesses, schools, offices, and homes use Wi-Fi connections for stability, especially where multiple devices are running.

It’s also worth noting that Somalia wasn’t just “nominated” it consistently ranks among the top countries in Africa for mobile internet speed and affordability, largely because of private sector investment and cable connectivity. People choosing to hotspot from their phones isn’t because Wi-Fi is “shit,” but because mobile bundles are cheap, reliable, and convenient.

Also, I have to remind y’all that Somalia didn’t start with mobile internet at all. Back in the early 2000s, after the first ISP was established in 1999, the country rapidly adopted Wi-Fi and other internet services at faster and cheaper rates compared to many places in Africa. By then, much of the country already had active internet usage with wireless internet, internet cafés everywhere, dial-up services, ADSL broadband and even satellite connections.
Even early GPRS mobile data was introduced before smartphones became common.

It actually surprised international observers at the time. So what we’re seeing today isn’t some brand new development brought/pioneered by only Dahabshil or Hormuud , it’s the continuation of a long trend where Somalia has been ahead of the curve in internet adoption.
 
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this molten salt reactor could easily work in djibouti and north somalia. It works at night too because the molten salt deposits acts as a battery and still function and give enough energy . its a refined technology and proving great results. Salt is infinite in djibouti
 

Idilinaa

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this molten salt reactor could easily work in djibouti and north somalia. It works at night too because the molten salt deposits acts as a battery and still function and give enough energy . its a refined technology and proving great results. Salt is infinite in djibouti

Galmuduug as well , there is tons of salt there:
1755587428646.jpeg



I honestly could picture the salt factory/company there to install and invest a portion of their revenue into this in the future.

There is also large lithium deposits beneath its salt-flats which would come in hand when it comes to batteries.
1755587584699.png
 
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