- Ethiopia would start exporting electric power to neighbouring Djibouti and Sudan beginning next year, according to a statement by the state-owned Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo), issued yesterday. Within short, Ethiopia will further become a hub in an electricity network that connects the grids of North Africa with those of East and Southern Africa.
In an interview with 'WIC', the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation General Manager Meheret Debebe and Public Relations Manager Sendeku Araya said exporting the "white oil" had equal priority as electrifying the nation by 2015.
Accordingly, the construction and installation of transmission lines would begin this year and both lines connecting the country to Djibouti and Sudan would be commissioned, power was to flow to the countries and selling was soon to begin - by 2008 - the General Manager disclosed.
The over 1,200 kilometres long and 500 kilovolt Ethio-Kenyan power transmission line, the first highest power transmission undertaken by EEPCo, would then be commissioned by 2010, Mr Meheret was qu0oted by the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry as saying.
The finalisation of the Ethio-Kenyan line would enable Ethiopia to get connected to the Southern Africa grid, while that of the Ethio-Sudanese line helped it enter the Northern Africa grid and across Egypt to the Mediterranean whereas that of Ethio-Djiboutian would connect the line to the Middle East system. This would make Ethiopia a hub in three regional power line grids within short.
Taking into consideration the global concern on environmental issues caused by the use of other types of energy and the subsequent tendencies to look for alternative environmental friendly energy as well as the strategic advantage, Ethiopia could get "a huge amount of foreign currency," the officials were quoted as saying.
Ethiopia has been dubbed by some experts as the Northern Hemisphere's water tower. The Horn country has a potential to generate 45,000 MW of electric energy. It has however generated only 3.5 percent of its potential so far. Only a slight increase in production is foreseen for the next few years.
Therefore, EEPCo is still far from reaching even national targets of a general electrification. Currently, the power supplier is only reaching 19 percent of the 75-million population. The power utility has pledged to provide electricity to the entire Ethiopian population by 2015 - at a time when this is expected to reach 100 million.
Mr Meheret recently told the press in Addis Ababa that the construction of five hydropower dams, including Tekeze with a capacity of 300 MW, Gellgele Gibe 2 with a capacity of 420 MW and Belesse with a capacity of 435 MW was expected to be completed by 2010. Also by 2010, EEPCo expected to provide "access to electric power to over 50 percent of the country's population," he said.
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