New budget year, new power boost

The Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), a state owned energy development enterprise, announces that two additional generation projects will start production under the new budget year.
The EEP which undertakes several projects including five power generation stations in the 2021/22 budget year disclosed that the ongoing projects have been accomplished successfully as per the plan.
Thus, the power plants that are located at Aysha, Somali and Langano, Oromia will start their power production in the 2022/23 budget year; that started on July 8.
As per the information Capital obtained from EEP, the Aysha II Wind Farm that would have a capacity to generate 120 MW with 48 windmills will start generation in the budget year.
Moges Mekonnen, Public Relation Head of EEP, said that so far 32 windmills have been installed, while 16 of them have accomplished the test and the balance is under trial testing position.
“So far the project has accomplished 79 percent and the remaining work is the installation of 16 more turbines,” Moges said, adding, “with the installed 32 turbines power production will start in the budget year.”
Similarly, the Aluto Langano Geothermal project that targets to produce 70 MW power is partly to be undertaken, “As per the plan, eight thermal wells will be drilled and five of them have already been drilled and three of them have concluded production test.”
He said that the wells have a depth from 2,500 to 3000 meters. The production test has shown that a single well has a capacity to produce up to 8 MW, which is unique compared with the experience. “Usually thermals with up to 3,000 meter depth are expected to generate up to three MW but in this case the capacity is very high that shows that the drilling locations are proper areas,” Moges said.
At the end of the budget year, the project that is carried out by the Kenyan power firm KenGen has been able to accomplish 81.4 percent of the total project.
Aluto has had a 7.5 MW production unit which was constructed three decades ago.
“These two projects will start production in the budget year,” the Public Relation Head said.
Koysha Hydroelectric Power that is constructed in the Omo River with a generation capacity of 1,800 MW is also the other project that is ongoing. In the 2021/22 budget year, the dam concrete filling had been conducted and has reached 541 meters from sea level or 45 meter from the ground. To undertake the two spillway part of the project, 5.8 million cubic meters of the total 6.2 million metric tons that was supposed to be removed has been drilled and cleaned for the construction.
In the ended budget year, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) first unit has started production and the second one is under trial test stage to start the production in the near future.
Assela Wind Farm that will produce 120 MW is also the other ongoing project in the ended budget year. According to Moges, clearing the site, preparation for civil works, and manufacturing and transporting electro mechanical equipments have been conducted in the budget year, which is 32 percent of the total project.
Transmission line and distribution stations are other projects that have been achieved in the budget year.
The eight distribution sites that surround Addis Ababa or are located in the capital have been upgraded; the heavy distribution stations at Legetafo, Sebeta 1 and 2, Illala, Holeta, Bishoftu 3, Qalit, Gelan are the sites that got the upgrading.