ADDIS ABABA (FBC)–Ethiopia secured over 35 million US dollars in the first half of the fiscal year from power export, according to the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Electricity (MoWIE).
The revenue was obtained from power sold to Djibouti and Sudan in the first half of this Ethiopian fiscal year (2017/18), Bizuneh Tolcha, public relations director at the ministry told Ethiopian News Agency.
According to Ato Bizuneh, power export to Djibouti and Sudan earned the nation USD18,510,000 and USD16,545,000, respectively.
Ethiopia and Kenya are also building a 1,045km power transmission line that will link grids of the two countries.
The 500KV transmission line, which will have the transmitting capacity of 2,000 MW, runs from Wolaita Sodo in south-central Ethiopia to Suswa in Kenya and will enable Kenya to import electricity from Ethiopia. The Chinese firm China Electric Power Equipment and Technology (CET) started the construction of the line in July 2016. According to CET the construction is expected to cost USD1.26 billion and financed by the African Development Bank.
Ato Bizuneh said that some 433km of the line lie in Ethiopia and 612km in Kenya.
Kenya had already agreed to buy 400 megawatts of electricity upon completion of installation of the power line, Ato Bizuneh noted.
Ethiopia has also a plan to sell power to Tanzania, he said, adding Burundi and Rwanda also showed interest to import power from Ethiopia.
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In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Dr. Engineer Sileshi Bekele, Minister of Water, Irrigation and Electricity said Ethiopia is seeking to raise its power generation to 17,000 MW by 2020 from the current 4,300 MW.
In a related development, the Ethiopian Electric Service (EES) said it working to provide electricity for 22,000 individuals and institutions that have been waiting for the service after making the necessary payment.
Gossaye Mengiste, CEO of EES told Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) that they will get access to the service until the end of this Ethiopian fiscal year.
Source: FBC