Ethiopia, Djibouti Agree to Boost Electric Power Interconnection
ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia and Djibouti have agreed to increase their electric power interconnection, the ministry of finance said on Friday.
The agreement was announced after Ethiopian delegation led by Finance Minister Ahmed Shide met with Djibouti’s Minister of Energy, Yonis Ali Guedi, on ways of enhancing cooperation between the two countries.
“Agreement for more power interconnection reached between Ethiopia and Djibouti,” announced the ministry on Friday afternoon.
During the discussion, The Ethiopian embassy in Djibouti said the two sides agreed to further bolster the existing power supply cooperation of the countries.
Discussion was also held on the way to connect the supply of electric power to Djibouti from the ongoing Aysha wind farm project being undertaken in Ethiopia.
The two sides have also agreed to jointly hire a foreign consultancy to study its feasibility and to hold the next meeting in Addis Ababa, the Embassy said.
The first phase of the Aysha wind farm project has 48 wind turbines each having a generating capacity of 2.5 megawatts. Its total electric generating capacity is about 120 megawatts up on completion.
The project is being undertaken in Somali region of Ethiopia with a cost of 257.2 million USD.
It is expected to contribute for the ongoing energy integration effort between Ethiopia and Djibouti as well as the entire region, according to officials.