Powering Africa : The Ethiopia experience

To achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7, access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services for all must be ensured by 2030.

With an installed capacity of over 5,000 MW in 2020, Ethiopia leads the East African sub-region in terms of power generation capacity, but this is still not enough to provide electricity to a country of over 120 million people. The following are highlights from the Ethiopian experience:

1.         Total access to electricity in Ethiopia is 51% (World Bank data for 2020), both on-grid and off-grid solutions, with urban areas electrified at 93.2%

2.         Ethiopia’s electricity generation of ~ 15100 GWh/a (according to IRENA) is mainly from hydro (95%), followed by wind (4%)

3.         Ethiopia is one of the few countries in the world where almost 100% of the electricity grid comes from clean and renewable sources (hydro, wind, solar, bioenergy, etc…)

4.         Ethiopia’s hydropower potential is estimated at 45,000 MW and is the second largest in Africa (only the DR of Congo has a higher potential).

5.         According to Statista, Ethiopia is one of the top five countries in Africa to generate electricity from wind (5th in 2020).

6.         With an installed capacity of 204 MW, the Adama wind farms in Ethiopia is the 5th largest wind farm in terms of capacity in Africa.

7.         Ethiopia has started exporting electricity to neighboring Sudan, Djibouti and Kenya and plans to become the region’s largest electricity exporter.

Under its National Electricity Programme (NEP), the Ethiopian government has set a target of achieving universal access to electricity by 2025 through on-grid and off-grid solutions. The goal is to provide electricity to 65% of the population through grid connections, while the remaining 35% will be provided through off-grid and mini-grid technologies.

In addition, the country plans to increase generation capacity from the current 5.3 GW to 17.1 GW by 2030 to meet growing demand.

The Ethiopian government intends to take advantage of the country’s abundant untapped renewable energy sources, including wind, solar and geothermal energy,

Ethiopia can rely on its strategic partners such as the African Development Bank and the World Bank. Indeed, since 2018, the World Bank has been providing financial assistance through the Ethiopian Electrification Programme (ELEAP) to finance new electricity connections for over one million households.

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