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Title: Power Shortage Threatens Ethiopian Economy: Article

Story Filed: Monday, April 03, 2000 8:04 AM EST

ADDIS ABABA (April 3) XINHUA - Ethiopian economy is facing a big challenge from ever-increasing shortage of power, a signed article published by the latest issue of Capital Weekly has warned.

The overall situation of the energy sector is not encouraging and leaves much to be desired, the article said.

Power consumers, including citizens of Addis Ababa, currently face alternate power disruption from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (local time) cycling every four days.

The demand for power supply to be consumed for the next four months would amount to 203,000 kilowatts, while the current generating capacity of the stations is only 180,000 kilowatts, the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation said in mid-march.

According to the article, Ethiopia's potential in electric energy is estimated to be around 60 billion kilowatts, but it is only one percent of this potential that has been utilized.

Currently, only four percent of the 62 million population in the country has an access to electricity. Even in the capital, the rate of penetration is no more than 35 percent.

The per capita electricity utilization in Ethiopia is around 22 kilowatt- hours, a figure by far below the world average, including the average of developing nations, the article noted.

Referring to the reasons for the power shortage, the article said, in addition to being short of investment for the power industry, the drought disaster across the country has apparently prompted the current power crisis because hydro-power stations in the country cannot work properly at a dry season which has lasted for about half a year since last October.

Copyright ) 2000, Xinhua News Agency, all rights reserved.

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-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), April 03, 2000