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Ethiopia plans for more power
03/02/2006 20:32 - (SA)
Addis Ababa - The Ethiopia Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo), in an ambitious 5-year development plan, is to increase its capacity to 4 00mw, providing electricity to some 24 million people in the country's rural areas, it was announced on Friday.
"The national power supply programme now under implementation by the corporation is a huge programme requiring 43bn birr (about $500m) in the coming five years," said EEPCo General Manager Mihret Debebe.
The programme was being financed by international donors and creditors as well as by the Ethiopian government and the power corporation itself, "with the World Bank among its major supporters," he said.
He pointed out that several power dams already under construction would be completed within the 5five-year plan period of the national power supply programme raising the country's power generation from the present 640mw.
"The main aim of the programme is to make the national power supply reliable in the coming years," he said.
Mehret added that with the completion of the various power dams under construction the country would have surplus electric power for export to neighbouring countries, including the Sudan and Djibouti.
The national power supply five-year programme envisages raising Ethiopia's per capita power consumption from 28kw at present to 560kw.
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