Ethiopia’s Electric Power (EEP) has set its sights on expanding its power grid and becoming a major electricity supplier in Africa. Their plan involves connecting the Eastern and Southern Africa Power Pools, ultimately delivering electricity to South Africa.
Ashebir Balcha, Director General of EEP, stated that his company was working actively to connect the Eastern and Southern Africa Power Pools in order to bridge the gap between Ethiopia and South Africa through Tanzania and Zambia.
This project is part of Ethiopia’s strategy to boost economic integration within the Horn of Africa through regional power supply. EEP is already exporting electricity to neighboring countries and have agreements or interest from others, including Sudan, Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania, South Sudan, Somaliland, Uganda, and Rwanda.
Ethiopia currently generates 5250MW of power and allocates 85% for domestic use, while 10% is dedicated to export. It plans to double its generation capacity upon completion of the Abbay Dam project. EEP expects to earn roughly USD 200 million USD annually from electricity exports once full-scale sales to Kenya begin.
The plan does not stop at South Africa. Ethiopia also aims to connect to Europe via Egypt by completing a second electricity infrastructure line, enabling power exchange between the continents.
Source: The Ethiopian Herald
