Nation Secures over 66 mln USD from Power Export

Addis Addis August 14/2020 (ENA) Ethiopia has secured 66.4 million US dollars from the export of electric power in the concluded Ethiopian Fiscal Year that started July 2019, according to Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP).

EEP was planning to earn 57 million US dollars from the export of 974.1 Giga Watt hours energy to neighboring countries during the stated period.

However, EEP has managed to export 1148 Giga Watt hours to Djibouti and Sudan and secured over 66 million USD from the export.

Corporate Communications Director at EEP, Moges Mekonnen told ENA that the energy export revenue was earned through selling of 579.4 Giga Watt hours to Djibouti and 568.6 Giga Watt hours of energy to Sudan.

Compared to the preceding year performance, the revenue has increased by 11.5 million US Dollars, he stated.

According to Moges, electric power export to Kenya will start in short period of time as the construction of convertor station and interconnection line installation near completion on the part of Ethiopia.

It is to be recalled that Ethiopia and Kenya are constructing a 1,045 kilometers electricity transmission line that will link grids of the two countries.

As part of the far-reaching plan to economically integrate the East African region, Ethiopia strives to interconnect neighboring countries through power export, he said.

Power purchase demand of neighboring countries like South Sudan and the autonomous region of Somaliland is growing since recently, he said adding the completion of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will confidently meet the call for electric power in the region.

 “Once completed, the GERD will have the capacity to export more energy to regional countries. So, the ongoing energy and other infrastructural interconnections including the GERD among different countries of the region will help to build mutual trust and promote share development,” he said.

In bid to contribute to the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) countries’ social and economic development, Ethiopia began exporting electricity to Djibouti in 2011 and to Sudan in 2012.