Ethiopia plans to export about 100 megawatts of electricity to Tanzania via Kenya once the nations finalize a deal that will enable cross-border trade in electricity.

The quantum of power to be traded may be revised during final talks, according to Moges Mekonnen, a spokesperson at state utility Ethiopian Electric Power. 

An agreement between Kenya and Tanzania, which allows the latter nation to use high-voltage lines to transmit power through its neighbor’s territory, has been signed and is awaiting regulatory approval, according to John Mativo, chief executive at Kenya Electricity Transmission Co. Electricity generated in Sodo in southern Ethiopia will be sent through Suswa in Kenya and onwards to Arusha in northern Tanzania, he added.

Ethiopia has built at least four large-scale dams, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, to generate hydropower to supply its nascent manufacturing industries and export to its neighbors. Kenya began importing 200 megawatts of hydropower from Ethiopia in 2022.

@BNN