This review synthesizes the current state of knowledge regarding coal deposits in Ethiopia, a nation whose energy strategy has historically prioritized large-scale hydropower development. Moving beyond superficial resource inventories, this article critically examines within the tectonic framework of Permo-Carboniferous (Karoo) graben systems and Mesozoic rift basins. This study provides a meticulous analysis of Ethiopias coal resources, which include approximately 297 Mt of registered coal reserves identified through systematic exploration, historical resource estimates of ~600 Mt, and recent government projections suggesting potential resources exceeding 1 billion tons subject to further delineation, and evaluates their quality and suitability for applications ranging from thermal combustion to advanced conversion technologies. Furthermore, it evaluates their quality and suitability for applications ranging from thermal combustion to advanced conversion technologies. The paper delves into the historical context and contemporary status of resource development, identifying systemic technical, infrastructural, and economic bottlenecks that have hindered exploitation. Within the global and national discourse on energy transition; that the strategic, responsible, and technology-enabled development of indigenous coal resources is not an anachronism but a critical component of Ethiopia’s energy security and industrial modernization. This is contingent upon the integration of advanced clean coal technologies (CCT). While carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) remains economically prohibitive in the Ethiopian context presently, emission control technologies (ESP, FGD) offer immediate pathways for localized pollution mitigation. Analyzing coal’s potential role in cement manufacturing (as a kiln fuel), direct reduction iron (DRI) if washed to 15% ash, and as a feedstock for synthetic fuels via CTL technologies. Ethiopian coal, if governed under stringent environmental regulations and technological upgrading, could provide the dispatch able base load and fiscal stability required to underwrite Ethiopias longer-term transition to a renewable-dominated energy system.
Wakjira Tesfaye (Thu,) studied this question.