By Shuaibu Adamu
ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian Government said it would invest 20 billion dollars on Green Energy, between 2015 and 2020, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
The government said the amount had been earmarked to develop 12 new green energy plants across the country under its second phase of Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP-II).
Mekuria Lemma, Head of Strategy and Investment at the Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Addis Ababa.
Lemma said that a minimum of two billion dollars would be spent annually in accordance with the country’s plan for the power sector.
Recent data on the ongoing EEP’s projects showed that the Ethiopia’s disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River expected to generate 6000MW was at 40 per cent completion.
Ethiopia Hydro-power project code, named Gilgel Gibe III was currently at 87 per cent completion while a similar Hydro power at Genale Dawa was at 61 per cent.
This was in addition to the ongoing Adama II wind power generating farm in Adama region south of Addis Ababa, currently at 80 per cent completion with 100MW capacity.
The country’s Waste to Energy power plant was also at 51 per cent completion located at Reppi Koshe, western part of Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian government had organised conference for local and foreign investors code named “Powering Africa: Ethiopia Meeting.’’
The meeting was organised through collaboration with a UK-based company, Energy Net Ltd, to connect governments with local and international power infrastructure developers.
The conference attracted various stakeholders interested in investing in Ethiopia’s green energy, including leaders from the Energy and Environment power (EEP) and the Ethiopian Power Utility (EPU).
Representatives of the two organisations had presented the country’s power demand and investment opportunities in the country, while investors presented project proposals.
The government said it hoped to supply more than 90 per cent of its population with uninterrupted supply by 2020 when the second phase was completed.
Ethiopia currently generates 2,090 MW from 15 Hydro-power stations supplying about 55 per cent of homes and industries across the country.
“The government aim is to increase the energy generation capacity to 15,000MW that would enable it expand total electricity coverage to 99 per cent,’’he said. (NAN)