ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) announced that Ethiopia has exported over 625.4 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electric power to Sudan and Djibouti within the past eight months of the budget year.
EEP Communication Director, Moges Mekonnen told The Ethiopian Herald that the country has earned 36.6 million USD from the export of power in the stated period.
EEP is planning to earn 57 million USD by exporting more than 999.3 million kWh of energy by the budget year, he added. Though, the performance stood at 64.2 percent due to the fact that power had not been exported to Sudan in July, August and September 2019 due to power shortage.
Power export to Kenya is expected to commence soon. The electric power interconnection line installation and converter station infrastructure construction have already been finalized on the side of Ethiopia.
Currently, EEP is inspecting the converter stations. Some 600 kilometers electric power transmission lines are expected to reach Kenya’s capital Nairobi.
Ethiopia expects to commence power export to Kenya by the end of the current budget year, according to Moges.
After the completion of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Ethiopia sets to extend its power export towards Tanzania, Uganda, Egypt, etc.
The ongoing hydropower, wind, geothermal and waste recycling power projects are expected to quadruple the current energy export and income.
“The energy demand of countries in the region is growing from time to time and we are working aggressively to meet this demand,” he said.
As to him, the current maximum energy export to Sudan and Djibouti do not exceed 100 MW despite the growing potential of Ethiopia and demand of its neighbors.
Ethiopia sustains partnership with its neighbors via power export. The country strives to interconnect Africa through a renewable source of power.
In this regard, GERD should be sought as a means of cooperation rather than dispute between some countries of the Nile riparian. Its competition will open the door for a win-win scenario regarding the utilization of the Nile, he indicated.
Currently, Ethiopia generates 4,600 MW of electricity from different renewable sources of power.
Accordingly, the ongoing energy and other infrastructural interconnections among different countries of the region will help build mutual trust, foster development, and counter-terrorism.
The Ethiopian Herald April 9/2020
BY TEWODROS KASSA
