Ethiopian Electric Utility Sparks Innovation with New Technology Centre

Oct 2 , 2023

Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU) is vying to build a state-of-the-art technology incubation centre in two years with a budget of 9.34 billion Br. The centre will be constructed by the Chinese Civil Engineering Corporation (CCEC) on a 16.75hct plot of land. Shewaferaw Telila, the head of the Utility and  Wu Juy, the branch executive managing director of the Corporation, inked a pact at the Utility's headquarters last week, promising a faster, more reliable, and more modernised service to customers, according to Shewaferaw. With the feasibility study, design, and supervision for the construction completed by Ethiopian Construction Design and Supervision Works Corporation, the centre will feature an electrical technology human resource training space, a research and incubation space, a Scada monitoring station, and a distribution machinery clearance and laboratory facility. Ethiopia is third in electricity deficits in the continent, with constant power fluctuations and disruptions. The year-end report by EEU indicates that only 4.4 million households in the country have formal access to the electric grid, with an average of just over 200,000 new customers added each year. It has managed to add around 40,000 new customers annually, while it has a little over 500,000 customers in the capital.