Ethiopia is on course to become a net exporter of energy as it unveiled a $40bn roadmap to build 71

power projects over the next ten years.

By Seth Onyango – bird Newsroom.

Of those projects, 16 are hydro-power, 24 wind, 17 steam, and 14 are solar, making the model arguably
one of the world’s biggest policy shifts towards clean energy and potentially building Ethiopia into a
leader in clean energy in Africa.

At the same time, Ethiopia will bolster its electricity generating capacity from the current 4,200 MW to
around 35,000 MW by 2037.

The East African state is inching closer to commissioning its controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance
Dam (GERD), which at 6,000 MW, will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa, as well as the
8th largest in the world.

Upon completion, the dam will double Ethiopia’s electricity generation. However, it is also expected to
reduce the flow of the Nile flow to Sudan and Egypt during reservoir filling – a source of friction with its
downstream neighbours.

Executive Officer at the Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), Andualem Siae, said the government will offset
the bulk of the projected cost of the clean energy model with additional funding from private and public
partnerships, the African Development Bank, the World Bank, and other partners and financiers.

In the proposed deal, Saudi Arabia’s Aqua Power Company will build two of the 14 solar projects. Siae
further revealed that negotiations are underway with the UAE’s Amia Company to build the Aisha I wind
farm project, with bidding underway to award developers for the remaining wind power projects.

Ethiopia already consumes less power during its weekends than it produces, creating a surplus for export
to its neighbours. In the fiscal year 2020/2021, Ethiopia made nearly $100m from energy exports to
Sudan and Djibouti and with the completion of these projects, Ethiopia is hoping to become a dominant
player in the region’s energy sector.

While noting the revenue that Ethiopia earned from energy exports, Moges Mekonen, Communication
Director at Ethiopia Electric Power (EEP), offered that the country was able to deliver some 1,000MW to
neighbouring states.

With increased power generating capacity, the East African state also expects to sell electricity to Kenya
and establish grid links to South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Yemen across the Red Sea.

Challenging Ethiopia’s hydropower dominance is the DRC, which plans to commence the construction of
its Grand Inga “Inga Dam’s 3” hydro-power project by the end of this year.

DRC President Felix Tshisekedi has previously stated that Inga is one of the infrastructure projects that
the country would push during his year as African Union chair.

Ethiopia and the DRC, are home to two of the continent’s greatest rivers, with a major source of the Nile
in the former, and the Congo River winding through the latter. Ethiopia also has significant sun and wind
opportunities to create considerable amounts of clean energy.

bird story agency.