Ethiopia is committed to attain 90 percent electricity through its Universal Electrification Access Programme in the coming five years by generating 15,000 megawatts of electricity, Ethiopian Electric Power company says.
'We will build hydro dams with a total generating capacity of 11,000 megawatts on all the river basins – Nile, Baro, Gibe Omo, Genale and Shebelle,' Mekuria Lemma, head of Strategy and Investment division of Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) told Anadolu Agency on Monday.
He said 4,000 megawatts of electricity would be generated from a mix of sources including wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and co-generation from sugar industries' wastes.
'The current level of universal electrification access stands at 54 per cent,' Mekuria said.
'Our target for the coming 25 years is generating 35,000 megawatts by tapping into our hydropower potential and other diverse resources,' he said.
Ethiopia is currently building a $4.8 billion hydro dam, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam or GERD on the upper reaches of the Nile, triggering apprehension in Egypt that it may affect its 'traditional' share of the Nile waters. Ethiopia maintains the dam is necessary for country's development.
GERD, scheduled to be completed by 2017 and once finished plant will generate 6,000 megawatts of electricity.
Ethiopia has already signed electric power interconnection agreements with Djibouti, Kenya, and Sudan as a first step towards becoming a power hub in Africa.
By Addis Getachew
Anadolu Agency
enerji@aa.com.tr