US Backs Tulu Moye Geothermal Plant

Oct 17 , 2020


Tulu Moye Geothermal Power Plant Project has secured a new grant worth 1.6 million dollars from the United States government. The geothermal power project, which will generate 150MW of power once completed, will be the first independent power project to produce power at a commercial scale. Implemented through the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the funding will support the detailed design work for the new power plant at an earlier stage in the project development process. This will enable the geothermal plant to deliver the first 50MW of electricity to the Ethiopian power grid. Following the technical development, the Corporation is expected to evaluate the need for additional financing for the implementation phase of the project. Tulu Moye Geothermal Operations Plc, jointly owned by Paris-based investment firm Meridian SAS and the Icelandic geothermal development company Reykjavik Geothermal, commenced the first phase of drilling a few months ago. Established three years ago, Tulu Moye Geothermal Operations, which is expected to generate a total of 150MW of energy by 2025, is partially funded by the Geothermal Risk Mitigation Facility for Eastern Africa and the United States Trade & Development Agency.


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 VAT a...


Radar

World Bank Greases Financial Overhaul

The World Bank approved 700 million dollars in credit from the International Development Association (IDA) to scale up support for the financial sector. The funds are targeted at modernizing the regulatory and supervisory framework of the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), supporting governance reforms, balance sheet restructuring, and recapitalization of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE), and transforming the Development Bank of Ethiopia (DBE) into a sustainable development finance institutio...


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 Bulto,...