Over 6,000 Ethiopia's rural towns to be electrified next year: minister

May 14, 2007 - Xinhua

ADDIS ABABA,Ethiopia's Ministry of Mines and Energy said Monday it has plans to electrify over 6,000 rural towns next year.

Minister of Mines and Energy Alemayehu Tegenu told journalists that his ministry has designed massive plans, whose implementation will ensure equitable electric power supply to all regional states by 2008.

As part of the ministry's Energy Sector Development Program, a 50 percent nationwide electric power services coverage has been envisaged, he said.

Alemayehu said the country's hydroelectric power generation capacity will be grown to 4,000 megawatt from the current 790 upon the completion of the ongoing hydroelectric power projects in the coming four years.

The plan will help meet energy demands of the agriculture, industry and trade sectors, he said, adding that it is expected to contribute significantly to the nation's attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The MDGs, which were established in 2000 at the Millennium Summit in New York, include eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality and empower women; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and developing a global partnership for development.

Ethiopia has a potential to produce 45,000 mega watt electric power but only 15 percent of population have access to the electric power services.