- The trials for the East Africa Electric Highway power supply project are underway.
- This initiative on power sharing is forecast to earn Ethiopia $200 million annually.
- Currently, Ethiopia produces all power for its national grid from renewable sources.
The East Africa Electric Highway project is lighting up a new era of regional integration, with power supply trials now linking Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania. This ambitious initiative, poised to transform energy trade in the region, is expected to generate an impressive US$200 million annually for Ethiopia in its initial phase.
Following the successful completion of an advanced power connection between Ethiopia and Kenya, the project has extended its reach to Tanzania. With the power infrastructure now in place, distribution trials are underway, marking a significant milestone in East Africa’s quest for sustainable energy solutions and economic collaboration.
“This regional power connection is set to enhance cooperation among the involved nations by providing a consistent and cost-effective power supply,” reads a media report issued after the successful commencement of the power supply trials this week.
The supply comes from Ethiopia to Kenya and Tanzania and with its commencement, Ethiopia also hopes to increase its capacity to supply renewable energy. This development places Ethiopia to become a regional leader in green electricity trading.
The East African Electric Highway Project‘s first power connection has been implemented through the infrastructure of power supply from Ethiopia to Kenya.
Notably, Ethiopia produces all the power for its national grid from renewable sources, while in Kenya, renewables account for around 90 per cent of electricity, and it also has one of the largest geothermal facilities in the world.
The Ethiopia-Kenya Electricity Highway opened officially last year after almost a decade of work and $1.2 billion in investment. The project infrastructure includes some 650 miles of transmission lines.
The project owes its success to the African Development Bank (AfDB), which contributed over $300 million of funding to ensure its completion. “You see population growth somewhat outstripping the growth of new connections,” noted the Director of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Department at the AfDB, Daniel Schroth.
“There’s a big push on addressing this energy access deficit more decisively,” he added.
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East Africa Electric Highway project
With funding from the World Bank, the AfDB and the French Development Cooperative, the project boasts a capacity of 2,000MW, with a transmission line connecting Kenya and Tanzania and another 200MW, the Ethiopia-Kenya transmission line.
“These two transmission lines are expected to generate up to $200 million in annual power trade, enabling Kenya and Tanzania to capitalize on Ethiopia’s significant power generation potential,” reads the media communique in part.
The report also goes on to announce plans to extend the project to South Sudan, and that already, there are technical works underway.
The regional power connection is expected to strengthen cooperation among the participating nations by facilitating the supply of consistent, cost-effective, and renewable energy, reads the report. The project is also expected to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, which aligns the project with global environmental goals and sets East Africa on the road to a greener energy future.
“This project showcases the region’s commitment to leveraging renewable resources for sustainable development,” details the report.
The project, in its entirety, is made possible and boosted by, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). GERD is Africa’s largest hydroelectric project that is expected to generate over 6,000 MW of electricity upon completion.
“This massive energy capacity not only addresses domestic electricity needs but also provides surplus power for export to neighboring countries, including Kenya, Sudan, and South Sudan,” the report goes on to detail. Already, thanks to GERD, Ethiopia is now a key player in the regional energy market.
The dam underpins Ethiopia’s ambition to become a leader in renewable energy production and trade and in combination with the East Africa Electric Highway, GERD strengthens Ethiopia’s energy export infrastructure and diplomatic as well as economic influence in the region.
Already, diplomatically speaking, the collaboration among the three countries, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, clearly shows willingness of the regional partnerships in addressing shared challenges.
“By pooling resources and expertise, these nations are taking bold steps toward creating a stable, interconnected energy network that benefits the entire region,” the report says.
This successful implementation of the East Africa Electric Highway project marks a significant step towards achieving regional energy security.
By connecting Ethiopia’s hydroelectric power to the broader regional network, the project serves to transform East Africa into a model of renewable energy integration. With power security, the regional economic growth will also be sustainable.
According to Moges Mekonen, the Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) Corporate Communications Director, said the project uses high-voltage transmission lines. The power is transmitted from Ethiopia’s Wolaita Sodo region, passes through Kenya’s Suswa substation and then goes into northern Tanzania.
“This strategic infrastructure enables a direct electricity trade route among the countries, and has significant implications for regional energy cooperation,” Mekonen said.
He said this power deal is a tell-tell sign of increasing regional collaboration among East African nations; “more than just the supply of electricity, this project is a critical tool for cementing our diplomatic relations and integrating our countries and people,” he said.
Africa power sharing roadmap
This power sharing approach among African countries is fundamental to a successful clean energy transition for the region and the continent as a whole. “Power sharing can improve quality, reliability, security, and have benefits on prices in a continent where demand for electricity is rapidly increasing,” comments the African Energy Analyst for the International Energy Agency (IEA), Darlain Edeme.
Ethiopia has a population of nearly 130 million, and electricity consumption per capita has quadrupled between 2000 and 2022. Similarly in Kenya, electricity consumption has gone up by three quarters in the same period and it’s expected to keep on rising.
The Ethiopia National Electrification Plan aimed to achieve universal electrification by 2025, is now well underway to be achieved with only about one in four rural households currently having access to electricity.
Similarly, the UN targets universal access to electricity Across Africa by 2030.
The expert explained that the Ethiopia-Kenya Electricity Highway actually models other interconnectors in Africa, like the one between Zambia and Namibia,. That power sharing setup has been operational since 2010 and was established at a cost of US$300 million.
Another covers over 1,000 miles of interconnection between two regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and this one has been running since 1982 and cost over $800 million.
