Macroeconomic reforms triple Ethiopia’s power export revenues, says EEP

Addis Ababa, August 7, 2025 (FMC) — Ethiopia’s ongoing macroeconomic reforms have significantly boosted the country’s foreign exchange earnings from electricity exports, the state-owned Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) has announced.

Presenting the utility’s annual performance report for the 2017 fiscal year (2024/25), EEP CEO Ashebir Balcha revealed that foreign currency revenues surged to USD 388 million—up from USD 140 million the previous year—driven by increased electricity generation and rising regional demand.

A total of 29,480 gigawatt-hours of electricity were generated during the reporting period, exceeding the planned output of 25,423 GWh. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the Gibe III hydropower plant were the largest contributors, accounting for 33.2% and 24.2% of production, respectively.

Revenue from domestic and cross-border electricity sales and related services reached 75.4 billion birr.

EEP noted that four major power generation projects remained under construction during the year, with the Koisha hydropower project reaching 71% completion and the Aisha wind farm surpassing 85%.

In the transmission and distribution segment, five major projects entered into service. However, the company also faced operational setbacks, including the theft of transmission poles and localized security concerns.

For the 2018 fiscal year (2025/26), EEP plans to generate 38,124 GWh of electricity and earn 109 billion birr in revenue.

The utility underscored that sustaining the current momentum in power exports will require continued implementation of economic reforms and enhanced infrastructure security.