Ethiopia and Djibouti have received a multimillion-dollar injection in support of their cross-border electricity scheme.

A grant of approximately US$70 million – from the AfDB – will help Ethiopia fund its portion of the 462 km Ethiopia-Djibouti Second Power Interconnection, which involves building a 230 kV transmission line from Kombolcha in north-central Ethiopia to Semera in the north-east of the country; renovating substations at Semera and Kombolcha; and building a new substation at Mile.

The last stretch of line in Ethiopia will run from Semera to Galafi on the Djibouti border. The AfDB has granted Djibouti about US$14 million for its portion of the project.

The transmission line between Kombolcha and Semera in Ethiopia will span 170 km, while a 102 km line will link Semera to Galafi. For the Djibouti portion, a 190 km line will run from Galafi to Nagad on the east coast. The Nagad substation will also be upgraded.

According to the bank, the first power interconnection line, commissioned 10 years ago, has reached capacity, necessitating the development of the second interconnection line to maintain energy security and reliability.

Bidding rounds for the construction of the project are expected to be issued by January 2022.

3 August 2021
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