Ethiopia’s Bid for a Well lit Future

Mulugeta Alemu

24 August 2007

A silent revolution is underway in Ethiopia. Where both supporters and detractors alike see the Government’s sure legacy in myriad aspects of the country’s infrastructure development, little is being said on what can be considered as Ethiopia’s boldest and ambitious public program. The Ethiopian Government has been putting a massive investment into the generation, expansion and development of electric power. In a country believed to have one of the biggest hydroelectric and geothermal power potentials in Africa, the stakes are indeed high. The Government wants to take full advantage of this immense potential not only to ensure greater access to the country’s ever growing population but also start exporting electricity to neighbouring countries.  

So far the major setbacks for the effective utilisation of the country’s immense natural resources for the generation of power have been lack of adequate strategic plan and the fact that such projects require massive investment. Now the Government is in confident mood that both are in place. The Government has developed an elaborate national plan and implementation strategy. It has also allocated substantial amount of financial resources into this project.

Hydro power forms the vital part of the Government’s drive to improve access to electric power to its citizens and drive benefit from a possible export to neighbouring countries. In 2002, construction of the giant Tekeze dam began by China National Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Corporation (CWHEC). This $224m worth hydroelectric dam, dubbed as China’s largest African venture, is ten meters higher than even the famous Three Gorgeous Dams. A larger dam expansion project is undertaken through Geligele Gibe II project which is expected to raise the electric power capacity of 420 MW. The massive project Belesse hydro power dam with a capacity of 435 MW has also started. This hydropower plant at the Beles River will be installed in a cavern located in the north-west of Ethiopia near to the Lake Tana.

These projects are to be completed by 2010. Interestingly, these massive projects are being undertaken without scaring Ethiopia’s traditionally hostile and critical neighbouring.  In fact some of the projects are even supported by Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), which is a platform for cooperation among riparian of the Nile. This development has silenced the water-wars pundits.

Of course reliance on hydropower has its own limitations. Invariable rainfall presents one major set-back. This is indeed why the government is working hard to diversify its electric power by investing on the utilisation of geothermal energy with which the country is enormously gifted. Another challenge also comes from the increasing antipathy to existing enthusiasm for big dams. Sobering level of concerns have been levelled at big dams. But these partially justifiable concerns don’t take into account the tremendous public good attendant to these massive projects to the poorest of the poor. The report of the World Commission on Dams in 2000 does not contradict with those who have long held that if the rights of all stakeholders are properly recognized and all the risks are assessed, the full benefits of big dams can be secured.

The benefit of Ethiopia’s hugely ambitious program is trickling. The Ethiopian Electric Power Cooperation has electrified 758 towns and villages in 2007. Its Universal Electrification Access Program aims to electrify 6000 towns and villages up to 2010. The multipurpose of these dams means that provision of drinking water will be made easier in large chunk of the rural areas where the dams are constructed. Currently the cooperation has more than 170 district offices which are facilitating a full rolling out of its project.

The Government seeks to export to energy hungry countries in the sub- region. The foundation for Ethiopia’s export of electricity to Djibouti, Sudan and Kenya are being laid down. The ongoing project between Ethiopia and the Sudan seeks to interconnect the power grid between the two countries. The Ethio-Sudan Interconnection System Project office is now open and operational in Ethiopia.

The impact of electricity to the rural population will be massive. The current reliance on wood as a source of energy will be unsustainable in the long run. The Northern area of the country is already deficient in this traditional form of fuel. The completion of the Tekeye dam will not only help the irrigation of this increasingly dry area but also provide alternative energy for the local population. But ensuring accelerated access in countries where the rate of population access to electric power is a daunting task. 

The country’s multifaceted projects are even praised by its development partners. “These projects will establish a sustainable program to expand access to electricity in rural communities that have long been disadvantaged and marginalized by the low levels of connection,” said Luiz Maurer, the World Bank task team leader of the project. This is much welcome given that Ethiopia has one of the lowest levels of energy consumption per capita in the world, which is 28 kWh. Only about 14.41% of the population has access to electricity.

Critics have often highlighted the sluggish government monopoly being part of the problem than the solution. The Government hasten to react to those criticisms by taking various measures with the view to making the cooperation more efficient and effective. This comes as a part of the government’s comprehensive reform programs which seek to address entrenched bureaucratic bottlenecks in government institutions and public utilities. In its soon to be constructed 34 storey headquarters, the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation is set to work for a rather well-lit future for the country.