Somali Regional State has inaugurated the country's first micro-grid solar power plant built at a cost of 4.3 million Br. The power plant has the capacity of generating 325 kilowatts of electric power at a time. The project was launched in the presence of Seleshi Bekele (PhD), minister of Water, Irrigation & Energy and the vice president of the Somali region, Mustefa Mohammed. The solar power plant is located in Korele and is one of the 12 pilot projects in the country. The Ministry has been working on the installment of 11 more micro-grid solar power plants in seven other regional states. The micro-grid power project was financed by a budget from the government of Ethiopia and the World Bank. After completion, the 12 solar power grids are expected to have the capacity to generate a total of 3,800 kilowatts. The government is also reaching out to 250 rural places with micro-grid solar electric power under the National Electrification Programme.