Construction of Awash Oil Depot Terminal Railway Project Commenced

Addis Ababa January 31/2021 (ENA) The construction of Awash Oil Depot Terminal Railway connection line and unloading facilities project has commenced today.

The project will be constructed with an outlay of 2.18 billion Birr allocated by the government of Ethiopia and is expected to be completed in a year.

Senior federal government and regional officials presided over the ground breaking ceremony of the construction of Awash Oil Depot Railway connection.

The project will connect the Awash-Kombolcha-Hara Gebeya- Mekelle railway line from Addis Ababa to Sebeta-Meiso-Dewole.

Upon completion, the project is expected to improve the efficiency of oil transportation, which is limited by road transportation, increase energy efficiency of oil depot operations and ease the pressure of domestic oil supply across the country, it was learned.

Though the Ethio-Djibouti railway line inaugurated in 2018, it is not yet fully operational in transporting petroleum as the line remained unconnected to any depots in the country.

It is to be recalled that on December 31, 2020 Ethiopian Railways Corporation (ERC) and China’s Civil Engineering have signed a contract agreement for the construction of Awash Oil Terminal Railway connection line.   

Awash petroleum depot is a hub for the national oil import, but it still using trucks to store the product imported from Djibouti.