Agreements Signed to Provide More Than 145,000 Citizens in Rural Towns with Solar Energy

Addis Ababa February 15/2021 (ENA) Ethiopian Electric Utility has signed today agreements which would enable it to provide solar energy for 25 rural towns with three Chinese and a Korean companies.

The agreements were inked by Ethiopian Electric Utility CEO, Shiferaw Telila and the respective representatives of the companies.

The projects will be implemented in selected rural towns of eight regional states and make  more than 145,000 citizens beneficiaries.

The construction will be carried out with 20 million USD from the African Development Bank and 161 million Birr from the Government of Ethiopia.

At the signing ceremony, Water, Irrigation and Energy Minister Sileshi Bekele said the government is working to ensure proportionate power supply in all parts of the country.

The projects expected to be completed within six months will benefit areas far from the main grid with solar energy, the minister stated.

Upon completion, they will generate 8 MW, it was learned.

Representative of the Chinese companies on his part expressed the commitment of the companies to complete the projects on time.

Ethiopian Electric Utility CEO, Shiferaw Telila said 125 rural villages have benefited from energy in the first six months of the current Ethiopian budget year alone.