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Ethiopian Reporter - English Version

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Sep 05th
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EEPCo to reduce power shading Print E-mail
Saturday, 21 June 2008

By Kaleyesus Bekele

The Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) on Thursday announced that it will reduce the power shading program from three to two days a week as of next week.

 

Due to the critical power shortage, EEPCo last April introduced a power rationing program. At the beginning it was two days a week that the power blacks out for twelve hours and later increased it to three days. Sendeku Araya, public relations head with EEPCo, told The Reporter that as the water levels in some dams were rising because of the summer rain the corporation decided to reduce the power ration program from three to two days.

“Some amount of water is flowing to the dams and information obtained from meteorology and the Ministry of Water Resources shows that the dams will get more water. Based on this new development, the corporation decided to reduce the power rationing program,” Sendeku said. “Assessing the water levels the corporation would make the necessary adjustment and will inform the public,” he added.

Sendeku hinted that the power rationing could be reduced to once a week. The water run-off is entering the Gibe I, Fincha and Tis Abay. Melka Wakana and Koka hydro-power dams are not getting water run-offs. Due to the severe drought the land lost its moisture and, though it is raining, the water is seeping into the earth. Because of the failed belg rain, coupled with the country’s rising energy demand, the water levels had dropped drastically. The Minister of Mines and Energy, Alemayehu Tegenu, had told The Reporter that the power rationing would be terminated if enough water was harvested. “We do not want to keep the public in the dark even for a day if we get enough water,” the minster said.

  EEPCo has 1,396,000 customers, 40 percent of whom are in Addis Ababa. Ninety-five percent of the customers are households and the rest is industrial and service sector. However, the industrial and service sector, which accounts for only five percent of the number of customers, consumes 69 percent of electric power.

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.  At persent, the power deficit is 129 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 MW). It is also to construct a wind turbine farm which can generate 120 MW near Mekelle, Adama(Nazareth) and Gondar towns.
 
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