SWECO are going to improve electricity distribution in Ethiopia. The assignment stretches over four years and is worth around 1.8 million euros.

SWECO will plan the expansion and improvement of electricity distribution in eight cities in Ethiopia, including the capital Addis Ababa. The objective is to develop a reliable system that businesses and households will be connected to.

“For several years we have been accumulating knowledge and experience around how electricity distribution in Africa can be improved. Assignments that considerably raise living standards for the population in several countries”, advises Anders Ståhl, Head of International Operations at SWECO’s Energy unit, Energuide.

The assignment includes assisting the client, Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation, with design, tender documentation, procurement and supervision during implementation. An essential part of the project is to train the client’s staff to use modern it-based tools for network planning and design.

There are also various environmental gains. By increasing the use of hydropower, emissions from the diesel power plants, which to a great extent currently supply the cities with electricity, will be reduced. Deforestation for energy use will also decrease.

The assignment is financed by the World Bank. SWECO has been working for some time with similar projects, for example, in Tanzania, Liberia, Uganda and Mozambique.