Meba Building, Kirkos, Sub City, PO Box 15881, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
+251-115-580598 / +251-115-580803
www.eep.gov.et
Vision:
By 2025 to be a first-class provider of quality electric power for the whole country, and a competitive exporter of energy in the region.
Mission:
To provide adequate and quality electricity generation, transmission through continuous improvement of management practice responsive to the socio-economic development and environmental protection need of the public.
Organization Description
Ethiopia strives to be the hub of renewably sourced energy in the region and beyond. Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) is instrumental to this ambitious plan.
EEP is a sole provider of bulk electricity to users, mainly to the Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU); direct industrial customers; and exports to neighboring countries. Djibouti and the Sudan are connected to Ethiopia by a high-voltage power line. A 400MW energy purchase agreement was signed; and a 500 kilovolt (kV) HVDC line between Kenya and Ethiopia is under construction
EEP operates and maintains more than 12 hydropower and three wind power plants distributed in different parts of the country with installed capacity of more than 4290MW, including the Gibe III plant (1870MW) which is under commissioning. There are two major hydropower projects under construction, namely the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (6000MW) and GenaleDawa 3 (254MW).
EEP operates and maintains all high-voltage transmission lines across the country, which covers more than 9,000km with varying voltage levels ranging from 500kV to 132kV; and more than 90 substations with the above mentioned voltage levels. Huge transmission line expansion is planned to extend the system and cover the whole country including border crossing power lines.
EEP has its own transmission & substation construction unit task force, which has more than 30 years of experience and developed construction and commissioning capacity of high-voltage lines up to 230 KV and substations.
EEP has a portfolio management unit with a track record in managing and administrating more than seven mega generation and transmission projects at a time in the last 10 years.
Background
Power development was introduced in Ethiopia as early as 1950s, and since then the Ethiopian electric power sector has served over 55 years. During these times, three landmark stages have passed to reach at the current status of the sector.
In early days (1958) the sector had been organized in a vertically integrated structure, vested with both operator and regulatory mandates, and it was named as the “Ethiopian Electric Light & Power Authority”. It was managed by a general manager leading five departments, namely Operations, Engineering, Planning, Finance and Administration, and Services.
In the second development stage (1996), the sector changed to accommodate the then new economic policy of the country, and the former Ethiopian Electric Light & Power Authority was restructured as a corporation and was named as the “Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation,” which was responsible for generating, transmitting, distributing and selling electric power to the public in a commercially viable system as an operator; and then the Ethiopian Electric Agency was established as a regulator. This stage was marked by the segregation of the duties of the regulators and operators. In addition, the company had to support the government’s rural electrification program, which is based on equitable availability of electric power to the rural mass population.
In the third development stage (2013), the fast double-digit economic growth the country, regional interconnection and the growth the sector itself – in service area, customers size, finance, and human capital, etc. – demanded further restructuring of the vertically integrated Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation into two legally unbundled state-owned enterprises, namely the Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU) and Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP).
The Government of Ethiopia recognized the key role that power sector plays in the economic and social development and growth of the country and has bestowed top priority to the sector and for its expansion.
EEP embarked on a huge and ambitious plan of bringing the installed capacity to 10,000MW within the five year planning period ending 2015. The UEAP electrification plan targeting universal electrification of the rural population had a plan to bring electricity access to 75% in the planning period.
In the African context, Ethiopia is known for its aggressive move in its expansion plan of its power sector, especially in generation capacity growth in a fast track modality. In the last 10 years, Ethiopia has commissioned and made operational seven hydropower and three wind power plants with aggregate capacity exceeding 3,560MW
Services
Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) is a sole provider of bulk electric power to the retail service provider EEU thorough operating generation and transmission plants; and it builds generation and transmission infrastructure.
It also embarked on the Universal Electricity Access Program (UEAP), which mainly deals with rural electrification. Currently, EEP has electrified more than 6,000 towns, villages and rural communities through this program.
Along with its electricity services, EEP discharges its social responsibilities by providing additional facilities to communities where the company operates. To mention some, provision of roads, health and post services, clinics and schools are common. In projects that the company runs it is common practice to educate the local communities regarding HIV/AIDS-related matters aimed at protecting the livelihood of the community.
Areas
EEP operates throughout the country. As electricity is one of the main developmental infrastructures in order to implement projects, the enterprise has to deal with a number of stakeholders, including regional administrations, various local communities, government organizations, and NGOs, etc.
Organization Goals & Objectives
EEP has developed a power sector expansion plan based on the second Growth and Transformation Plan of the country for the five-year term starting from 2015. It has set its goals on the expansion of power generation plants and transmission expansion plans. The objective of the plan is to lay down electric power infrastructure that will support the country’s ambitious plan of becoming a middle-income country by the year 2025.
Among the goals set:
Leaders
EEP is a public utility led by a management board. The management board is the supreme body responsible for the performance of EEP at the highest level. Its CEO is Mrs. Azeb Asnake, who is leading and managing the company and its day-to-day operations and activities.
In addition, there is an executive team comprising 10 permanent members who are working together as a team to make joint company decisions based on deliberations carried out on a weekly basis.
The members are:
1) Azeb Asnake, CEO – Civil Engineer (M.Sc) with experience of 28 years.
2) Bireda Maru, PMO Portfolio Management Executive Officer – Electrical Engineer (M.Sc) with 24 years of experience.
3) Shiferaw Telila, UEAP Executive Officer – Electrical Engineer with more than 20 years of experience.
4) Tesfaye Batu, Transmission and Substation Construction Executive Officer – Electrical Engineer with more than 20 years of experience.
5) Andarge Eshete, Generation Operation Executive Officer – Mechanical Engineer (M.Sc) with more than 25 years of experience.
6) Abebe Kahsay, Transmission Operations Executive Officer – Electrical Engineer (M.Sc) with more than 13 years of experience.
7) Abdulhakim Mohammed, Senior Advisor to the CEO – Hydropower Engineer with more than 30 years of experience.
8) Ketema Gebre, Human Resources Executive Officer – Business Management & Law with more than 28 years of experience.
9) Mulu Asfaw, Chief Finance Officer – Financial Management with 26 years of experience.
10) Mekuria Lema, Strategy & Investment Officer – Power Economist with more than 29 years of experience.
Furthermore, for day-to-day operations each executive team member is responsible for his/her leadership by acting as a coach, facilitator and supporter of their team(s).
Staff/Members
No. Work Units No. of Staff
1 Chief Executive Officer 115
2 PMO Executive Officer 618
3 Transmission & Substation Construction 402
4 Generation Operation 1074
5 Transmission Operation 1121
6 Finance 97
7 HR & Services 94
Total 3521
Highlights
The company has three important milestone dates. These are:
1) The date the first company established – it was in 1958 that the first utility, the Ethiopian Electric Light and Power Authority (EELPA), was established. During this time it was acting as service provider and as a regulator.
2) In 1992 the Authority (EELPA) was unbundled into two – the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation as service provider, and the Ethiopian Electric Agency as a regulator.
3) In December 2013 the Corporation (EEPCO) was legally unbundled into two enterprises – the Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) and Ethiopian Electric utility (EEU).
