The Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo), Ethiopia's state-owned electricity provider, said Saturday it will increase the impoverished country's power supply by three fold in the next five years.

EEPCo public relations manager Sendeku Ar'aya told journalists that the corporation planed to increase the existing 783 MW electric power generation capacity to 2,842 MW in the next five years.

He said the firm will pay due attention for building its institutional capacity, adding that it will meet its targets through deploying adequate skilled manpower.

A 400-KV electric power transmission line would also be installed for the first time in the country, said Sendeku.

Only 13 percent of the population in Ethiopia has access to electricity but that will rise to 20 percent by 2012, according to official data.

In addition to installation of lines from power generation stations to power distribution stations, the corporation planned to increase the capacity of lines installed in various towns in the country, Sendeku said.

Construction of nine electric power generating stations including construction of the Gilgel Gibe-2 and the Tekeze stations, which have the capacity of generating 480 and 300 MW electric power respectively, are expected to be finalized during the stated period, Sendeku said.

The manager said 435 MW Beles electric power station and the 278 MW Chemo-Gaday station as well as the Alele-Werabesa station, which has the capacity of generating 436 MW electric power are among those to be finalized in the five-year period.

In addition to power generation activities, Sendeku said the corporation will carry out installation of power transmission lines and construction of electric power distribution stations.

The capacity of electric transmission lines in Ethiopia at present is 230 KV, and the installation of 7,927 km of electric power transmission line would be carried out, Sendeku said.

Source: Xinhua