ADDIS ABABA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia has increased its electricity generation capacity 11-fold during the last 27 years, an Ethiopian official said on Friday.
Azeb Asnake, CEO of Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), said Ethiopia has managed to increase its electricity generation from 380 Mega Watts (MW) in 1991 to around 4,300 MW currently, reported state affiliated media outlet Radio Fana.
She also said EEP has managed to increase its customer numbers from 600,000 in 1991 to around 2.8 million people in 2018, while an additional 8,000 rural towns have become beneficiaries of electricity during the same period.
"Ethiopia is constructing several energy projects, including the 6,450 MW Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which in total can generate about 9,000 MW of additional energy," said Asnake.
The Ethiopia government hopes to increase the electricity generation capacity of the country from the current 4,300 MW to 17,300 MW by 2020, utilizing hydro, wind, geothermal, solar and biomass energy sources.
It hopes the ambitious energy projects will help the East African country achieve its plan of becoming a light industry hub in Africa and a middle-income economy by 2025.
