Dec 14 2010
Ethiopia is said to have good potential for renewable energy generation. Misikir Negash, Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation’s (EEPCo) Corporate Communication Chief Officer referred to a recent study and said that the country has vast amount of unexplored renewable energy.
The study indicates that Ethiopia can harvest around 60,000 MW of clean energy from its geothermal, wind and hydroelectric sources. The report details that 45,000 MW power can be generated from hydroelectric power, 10,000 MW from wind energy sources and around 5,000 MW utilizing geothermal energy. The country currently generates only 2,000 MW of power and most of it is received from hydroelectric power generation. The country is planning to augment its hydroelectric power generation to 8,000 MW in the ensuing five years.
According to ENA, a state sponsored news agency, the country is currently setting up a 120 MW wind power generation plant in Tigray State and has plans to set up similar projects in places such as Adama, Aysha, Mesebo and Debreberhan. The country has set an ambitious target of achieving 75% electric coverage in the next five years from the current coverage of 41%. Meanwhile EEPCo has announced its plans to run a 500 kV line to cover a distance of 434 km.
Source: http://www.eepco.gov.et/