Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, has declared that the country will soon commence the construction of a major dam along River Nile to produce hydro power to augment the electric power production of the country.
Ethiopia is planning to construct the dam on its western Benishangul region close to its border with Sudan. According to Ethiopian Electric Power, the proposed dam will be completed in a period of five to 10 years and will generate 5,000 MW of clean power.
The country over the past five years suffers from frequent power outages. It manages its affairs with the rationed power supply for nearly five months now. Its severe power shortage has resulted in closing of factories, reduction in exports and currency shortage.
As a part of its power improvement strategy the country intends to invest over $12 billion in power projects over a period of 25 years to augment its power production capabilities. The country aims to generate around 15,000 MW of electricity within a period of 10 years.
Presently, the country is constructing five hydropower production projects and some of them have received funding from World Bank.