Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam seen under construction during a media tour in Benishangul Gumuz Region, Guba Woreda, Ethiopia, in this March 31, 2015 file photo. (REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/Files)
Ethiopia earned more than 1 billion U.S. dollars from electric power export to neighboring countries in 18 months, the country's Ministry of Water and Energy has disclosed.
ADDIS ABABA, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia earned more than 1 billion U.S. dollars from electric power export to neighboring countries in 18 months, the country's Ministry of Water and Energy has disclosed.
Ethiopia is "successfully" supplying energy to its neighboring countries of Sudan, Djibouti and Kenya, earning over 1 billion U.S. dollars from electric power export in 18 months up until the end of the previous Ethiopian fiscal year that ended on July 7, 2023, state-run Ethiopian News Agency quoted Water and Energy Minister Habtamu Itefa as saying Friday.
The minister said the performance "underscores the nation's burgeoning role as a regional energy powerhouse, catalyzing regional integration." Itefa noted the growing demand for the supply of Ethiopia's electric power among its neighboring countries, as the recipient countries witnessed a 15-percent annual surge during the reported period.
A security officer beefs up security at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) site in Guba, Ethiopia, April 2, 2018. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)
Noting that about 93 percent of Ethiopia's electric energy is derived from hydropower, he said the country is conveniently positioned to provide clean, and inexpensive electricity without harming the environment. He also disclosed plans to extend electric energy export to South Sudan.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed recently said that Ethiopia's push for augmenting its energy export ambition is part of its broader plan to economically integrate the wider East African region and beyond through electricity infrastructure.
As part of its ambition, Ethiopia is currently undertaking different hydroelectric power projects, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The country expects the GERD to generate more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity once it's fully operational. ■