Ethiopia to distribute 4.5 million power saving bulbs for free

By Tesfa-alem Tekle

June 16 2009(ADDIS ABABA) – As electric power shortage in the country hits a critical level, The Ethiopian Electric and Power Corporation (EEPCo) on Tuesday said that it has finalized preparations to distribute some 4.5 million power saving bulbs for free.

Bought at a cost of 40 million birr (some3.6 million USD) the power saving bulbs, up on distribution, will be able to save 82 MW on daily bases, by saving the power used by households.

The free distribution of the bulbs is part of Ethiopia’s efforts to cope up the major power shortage the nation is facing, which currently fall to nearly 50%.

According to EEPCo, every customer of the corporation will be offered 4 power saving bulbs up on appearance to branches to pay bills.

Ethiopia’s Major Hydro power dams being long depleted due lack of sufficient rain water flow and waiting for rain to fully operate, the Ethiopian government with possible good rains, is optimist that the current power cuts across the nation would only last until the end of the just turned- in Ethiopian rainy season, which goes mid June to August.

Expected to begin generating power this rainy season, EEPCo’s officials yesterday announce that Tekeze Hydro Power Dam and Gilgel Gibe II, which both have been under construction and with a capacity of generating 300MW, 420MW respectively would ease the high power scarcity.

Power consumption in the horn of Africa’s nation has increased by 24% this fiscal year from that of last year’s.

Ethiopia says the increasing number of new industries such as cement factories as well as the expansion of investment activities in various parts of the country is the main reason for the high demand of electricity.

Owing to the country’s chronic shortage of power supply, Ethiopia last month ordered cement plants to suspend production; instead the ministry of works and urban development declare it will import some two million quintals of cement to compensate demand.
During the past five years, Ethiopia has been registering a consecutive double digit economic growth, an average11.5%.The ministry of finance recently has put the economic growth of the country to be around 10 % for the year, despite World bank’s forecast which put it far lower, down at 6.5%.

Remained to be seen any way, a lot of experts believe that the power crunch of the country, at worse this year, is possibly to affect the economy of the country much worse.

Recently the Corporation has admitted that the ongoing power cuts would affect the economy to the level of one percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Last year power interruptions had caused substantial damage to the economy of the country, estimated at over a billion birr (over 100 million USD), according to sources.

The latest move being one, Ethiopia is working hard to ease the power shortage. Currently Diesel generators, with a capacity of generating 60 MW are installed. And this is costing the government of Ethiopia 20,000 dollars every month.

Ethiopia is spending billions of dollars for its massive hydro power projects. When Ethiopia completes the construction of its six power generating stations by the year 2012/13, it will be able to fully export power to foreign countries.

Ethiopia has an initial agreement to export 200MW to Djibouti and Sudan, and 500MW to Kenya. Officials believe that the power export in a few years will take over coffee as the leading foreign currency earner.

(ST)