FROM LEFT: Mihret Debebe, Alemayehu Tegenu and Asfaw Dengamo

World Bank allocates USD 10mln for fuel-efficient lamps

By Kaleyesus Bekele

Though the rain had started pouring down during the past few days, power rationing will continue at least until July 7.

The elusive belg rains coupled with the increasing electric power demand forced the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) to introduce power shading a month ago. Briefing reporters yesterday, the Minister of Mines and Energy (MME), Alemayehu Tegenu, said that the decision to stop or continue the power rationing would depend on the amount of rainfall and the water runoffs going to the dams. “If we get enough rain in June and our dams start to harvest water, we do not want the public to live with the power rationing. We do not want to continue the power shading even for a single day,” Alemayehu told journalists.

Alemayehu said that the fast economic development the country was registering increased the electricity demand. “Because of the favourable investment climate the government created more factories are being established and this has increased the demand for electric power. It is a challenge that had stemmed from our economic growth,” Alemayehu said. According to EEPCo, the country’s power demand had increased by 15 percent.

When it started raining people were hoping that the power shading will end. However, that sounds like wishful thinking.

The recent rain did not help much in solving the power problem. The Minister of Water Resources, Asfaw Dengamo, explained the soil had lost its moisture due to the drought. “The recent rain did not yet create run offs to the dams. The water is going down to earth. The land was so dry that it is draining the water. Of course, there was a heavy rain but only small portion of it went to the dams. But it is a good start. It is a sign that there will be enough rain in June,” Asfaw said.

Asfaw went on to say that the global climate change was affecting different regions. He said the effects of lanina and the repeated tropical cyclones in Indian ocean were preventing moisture coming to Ethiopia. He said that there was high evaporation at the water dams.

Ato Alemayehu and Mihret Debebe, the general manager of EEPCo, urged the public to use electric power efficiently. The officials said customers should use energy-efficient lamps and other instruments. MME and EEPCo are working together to import and distribute energy-efficient lamps. Mihret told The Reporter that the World Bank had allocated ten million dollars for the project.

EEPCo has 1,396,000 customers, 40 percent of them in Addis Ababa. Ninety-five percent of the customers are households and the rest is the industrial and service sector. However, the industrial and service sector ,which accounts only five percent of the number of customers, consumes 69 percent of the electric power. At the moment, the power deficit is 80 MW. The country's power consumption per capita is 35 kWh. Subsaharan African average power consumption percapita is 500 kWh. The EEPCo plans to increase Ethiopia’s consumption to 500 kWh with ten years.

At the moment, EEPCo’s maximum electric generating capacity is 814 MW, 80 percent hydro and 20 percent geothermal and thermal. However, because of various reasons, including water shortage, the corporation generates only 600 to 700 MW.  EEPCo is undertaking massive hydro-power projects: Tekeze( 300 MW), Gibe II (420 MW), Beles(460 MW), Gibe III (1870 MW) and Fincha Amenti Neshe (100).  The construction of Tekekeze is expected to be finalized in August. The first unit will start generation in September, if everything goes according to schedule. It is also to construct a wind turbine farm which can generate 120 MW near Mekelle, Adama(Nazareth) and Gondar towns. The corporation plans to construct more than ten hydropower plants.