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Authorities at the state owned Ethiopia Electric
Power Corporation (EEPCO) and Ministry of Mines and
Energy (MoME) are contemplating exporting power to
Kenya from Gilgel Gibe II Hydropower project. The
two countries signed a memorandum of understanding
on trade in power two years ago in Addis Abeba.
Although Ethiopia initially planned to supply 60Mw
power from Gilgel Gibe III, the biggest hydropower
plant under construction, the delay in undertaking
the project has compelled executives of the
government to look for a plausible option.
Ethiopian authorities are, therefore, considering
implementing the proposal of a study to relinquish
their plans to export power from Gibe III, shifting
instead to the 90pc completed Gilgel GibeII, which
is projected to generate 420Mw.
Construction of the power plant commenced a year ago
on the Omo River, in the Southern Nations
Nationalities and People’s Regional State. It is the
closest power station to the neighboring Kenya.
Plans include a 270m high dam that will hold 14.7
million cubic metres of water. It will be the first
dam in the country to contain 10 turbine units, and
five kilometers of tunnels. Each unit is expected to
generate 187Mw of electric power, equivalent to
Gilgel Gibe I output so far.
The project also involves the extension of 550Km of
transmission line from the generation plant to
Welayta, for the supply of power to Kenya and from
Welayta to Kaliti and Mega substations, which would
cost an additional two billion Br above the 15
billion Br project cost.
A performance report by MoME, to be presented to
Parliament this Tuesday, states that a survey is
being carried out on how a transmission line could
reach Welayta from the far post in Oromia’s Gibe II,
instead of from Gibe III. According to the
performance report, the power supply to Kenya will
commence at the end of 2009.
Though the authorities at the EEPCO declined to
comment, it is unlikely to complete the Gibe III
project within the scheduled time in order to export
from it. Poor progress was hindered the finalization
of the project, which was started a year ago. Only
23.8 percent development has taken place. Since July
2007 up to the present month, it has registered only
a 68pc performance compared to the plans for the
year.
The corporation had announced that the commissioning
of Gibe III plant would take place in the year 2012.
“Currently, Kenyans are desperately looking for
power supply. They are using even the price hiked
benzene to cover the large deficit they have,” a
regional power expert, who requested anonymity,
told Fortune.
It did not matter from which station Ethiopia
supplied power to Kenya, he stated.
A finance problem, which has hampered the Gibe III
project has yet to yield a solution. Following
criticism from environmentalists that the power
project does not incorporate an environmental impact
assessment finding, raising finances has been a
daunting task for the corporation. The European
Investment Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB)
have yet to grant their 1.7 billion Br pledges.
Meheret Debebe, general manager of EEPCO, blamed
environmentalists and especially the local NGOs for
not ensuring an environmental assessment of the Gibe
III project before its implementation. He, however,
admitted to the power shortage the country is facing
this year.
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