ADDIS ABABA– Ethiopia has intended to export approximately100 megawatts of electricity to Tanzania via Kenya after reaching an international agreement allowing cross-border electricity trade, Ethiopian Electricity Power (EEP) announced.
Ethiopia plans to export about 100 megawatts of electricity to Tanzania via Kenya once the nations finalize a deal that will enable cross-border trade in electricity, BNN Bloomberg reported.
EEP Communications Director Moges Mekonon told the media that the quantum of power to be traded may be revised during final talks.
An agreement between Kenya and Tanzania, which allows the latter nation to use high-voltage lines to transmit power through its neighbor’s territory, has been signed and is awaiting regulatory approval.The transmission line to Kenya has the capacity to carry up to 2,000 megawatts, which could facilitate future energy exports to Tanzania.
Kenya Electricity Transmission Company,Chief Executive John Mativo said that electricity generated in Sodo in southern Ethiopia will be sent through Suswa in Kenya and onwards to Arusha in northern Tanzania.
Ethiopia has built at least four large-scale dams, including the Abbay Dam, to generate hydropower to supply its nascent manufacturing industries and export to its neighbors. Kenya began importing 200 megawatts of hydropower from Ethiopia in 2022.The transmission line to Kenya has the capacity to carry up to 2,000 megawatts, which could facilitate energy exports to Tanzania.
Ethiopia has earned 31.5 million USD from exporting electricity to neighboring countries during the first three months of the current fiscal year. The electricity was sold to Djibouti, Sudan, and Kenya, amounting to 497.8 gigawatt hours, with a revenue performance of 91.8% compared to the plan, EEP stated.
BY ESSEYE MENGISTE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 22 NOVEMBER 2024
