The Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) signed an agreement on June 19 with Pinggao Group Co. Ltd for the construction of a high voltage power transmission line along the Awash-Kombolcha-Hara Gebeya railway project.
The agreement was signed by the Chief Executive Officer of EEP, Mr Ashebir Balcha, and Zhai Yanbin, the Group’s Overseas Marketing Director.
Under the agreement, Pinggao Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of State Grid Corporation of China, will construct a 230/132kV high voltage power transmission line at a cost of $11.5 million. The power supply project will be fully funded by the Ethiopian government.
The agreement follows another contract signed in May for the expansion and upgrading of four high-voltage power substations that will feed electric power to the railway. The $5.5 million contract covers the expansion and capacity building works on the 230/132kV substations located at Metehara, Debre Berhan, Shewarobit and Kemissie.
Considering the significance of the railway project to the country, Mr Balcha urged the Chinese company to finalize the construction of the power line as per schedule and with the required quality.
The 392 km railway project is a new railway line being constructed by Yapi Merkezi, a Turkish contractor, between Awash and Woldia. The railway line will connect with the Addis Ababa–Djibouti railway line at Awash. The project is part of the Ethiopia’s five-year Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP), which includes five rail projects in phase one.
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