Data Hubs Fuel State Power Seller's Revenues Engine

May 25 , 2024


Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) has garnered over half a billion Birr in revenues over the past nine months through power sales to data mining companies. While the initial announcement mentioned "data mining," EEP now clarifies they are targeting data centres, which encompass a wider range of computing services beyond cryptocurrency mining. Menelik Getahun, head of EEP's market development, emphasizes the importance of diversifying revenue. He said data centre sales complement EEP's traditional income sources like power sales and fibre optic rentals. EEP officials also earned 121.78 million Bt from the Reppie Waste-to-Energy Power Plant, showcasing alternative energy sources. They announced it would be selling energy to data mining companies a few months ago after several BitCoin miners showed interest in the vast hydropower resources of the country. Crypto mining is an energy-intensive process demanding amounts ranging from 10MW to 100MW. Ethiopia generates around 5,200MW of energy from hydroelectric sources, making it a lucrative source of cheap electric energy for miners, who are not welcome for long in most countries.


Radar

Electricity Bills Get the VAT Jolt

The new Value Added Tax (VAT) has begun implementation on electricity consumption and various service fees affecting customers who use more than 200 kilowatt hours of electricity per month. Based on a directive from the Ministry of Finance, the tax will be applied to the excess amount of electricity consumption above 200 kilowatt hours. The Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU) began implementing the VAT on bills starting from November though both prepaid and postpaid customers will have to pay V...


Radar

Gadaa Bank Expands Reach, Faces Lending Constraints

Gadaa Bank closed its first full fiscal year of operations with a net profit of 90.2 million Br. The 18-month-old Bank held its annual general assembly at Millenium Hall on Africa Avenue last week where the board announced that during the year, the Bank opened 15 branches and now has 85 operational branches. “Due to recently enacted policy measures on credit by NBE and unmet resource mobilization during the fiscal year, the Bank was unable to make loan disbursements,” stated Wolde...


Radar

Oromia Bank's Branch Expansion Weighs on Profits

Oromia Bank reported a 47pc decline in net profit to take in 840.9 million Br for the past fiscal year. Interest income grew by 21pc to reach 7.19 billion Br while personnel expense grew by 36pc to hit 3.16 billion Br. The opening of 72 new branches, bringing the total to 575, led to a four percent growth of deposits to 56.4 billion Br. The profits are “unsatisfactory against our ambitious moves,” said Assefa Seme (PhD), board chairperson. “The deviation is primarily attributed to our aggr...