Ethiopia has massive hydropower potential: official
ADDIS ABBA, ETHIOPIA - Ethiopia has economically exploitable hydropower potential of more than 30,000 MW, but the vast majority of its domestic energy need is fulfilled by wood fuel and animal dung, a government official lamented recently.
At a three-day workshop on the country's hydropower development, Adugna Jebessa, state minister of the Ministry of Water Resources, said the government is undertaking feasibility studies of a number of hydropower projects, including north Ethiopia's Baro and Karadobi hydropower projects, with assistance from Norway.
Norway pledged to grant 7 million U.S. dollars for the feasibility studies of the projects.
According to the present feasibility study, the Baro project consists of two power plants operating in a cascade with an installed capacity of 896 MW. While the exact sizing of Karadobi is not yet clear, the preliminary estimate indicates a plant with an installed capacity of 1,000 to 1,600 MW.
The study includes studies of the power market and transmission system, as a production increase in Ethiopia represents attractive opportunities for power sales to neighboring Egypt and Sudan.
The hydropower projects will also reduce the country's dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels, said Adugna.
Despite Ethiopia's huge hydroelectric potential, the exploitation rate is about only two percent, according to official data.
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