Ethiopia, South Sudan Sign Electric Trade Agreement

ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia and South Sudan on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding to facilitate electricity trade between the two nations.

Officials of the Finance Ministry of Ethiopia, and South Sudan’s Energy ministry signed the agreement in Addis Ababa where a South Sudanese delegation, led by Minister of Energy and Dams Peter Marcello, is currently on an official visit.

The agreement entails the construction of 357 kill meter-long 230-kV electric transmission lines that link two distribution stations in the Gambella region to South Sudan’s Malakal region.

In the long run, the two will also construct another 700 km-long electric transmission line extending from Ethiopia’s Tepi distribution center to the South Sudanese capital, Juba. 

As per the agreement, the two nations will conclude a feasibility study within a year and carry out the construction of the transmission line in the following two years. 

Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) officials say Ethiopia plans to export 100 Megawatt of electric power to South Sudan in the first phase, and gradually increase it to 400MW.

Works are in progress to supply Electric power to its neighbors with the view to earning foreign currency while fulfilling South Sudan’s electric energy demand, said Andualem Sia, Corporate Planning Executive Officer of EEP. 

Ethiopia earns about $50 Million from electric power export to neighbors including Sudan and Djibouti, annually. The country has secured  $37 Million in the first nine months of the current fiscal year.