South Sudan to benefit from Ethiopia electricity lines

South Sudan to benefit from Ethiopia electricity lines

The newly independent Republic of South Sudan is to import electricity from Ethiopia to help meet its power demands.

The Transmission and Sub-station Construction Executive, Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO), Mr Alemayehu Webesht, told reporters on Monday in Addis Ababa that EEPCO would soon commence the ground assessment study for the construction of some transmission lines from the dam site to South Sudan.

Power transmission

“We have concluded the first stage of conceptual study and the ground assessment will commence soon. It covers both sides of Ethiopia and the South Sudan border,'' Webesht said.

He said power would be transmitted through two transmission lines crossing Gambella region of Ethiopia to the Northern part of South Sudan, while the other transmission line would go through Tepi, Southern West of Ethiopia to Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Mr Webesht explained that the cost of both the conceptual and the ground studies would be covered by the Ethiopian government, while the finances of subsequent stages would be jointly sourced from financiers by both countries.

Improved power supply

Webesht pointed out that EEPCO had recently embarked on construction of new transmission lines across the country to improve power supply.

“Ethiopia’s plan is to be the regional power supplier, we are going to export our surplus power to our neighbouring countries at a cheap price,'' he said.

He made it known that South Sudan would benefit from the ongoing construction of Renaissance dam which would generate 5,200 mega watts.

He said Ethiopia had also finalised all arrangements to commence power export to neighbouring Kenya and Sudan by 2012, when additional power generating stations must have been completed.