The lights of the East African Plateau are brewing a wildfire that spans generations. From scattered light spots in the countryside to the dazzling galaxy connecting towns and industry, Ethiopia has launched a quarter century long power grid transformation. This power dragon will build a nest and attract phoenixes for nearly nine times the current of electricity consumption, lighting up the path of national transformation.

On July 27, 2026, the Ethiopian Power Distribution Company released a long-term plan for national power distribution expansion and modernization, which will last until 2049, with a duration of 25 years and an estimated total investment of 30.6 billion US dollars, to match the continuously growing domestic electricity demand and improve the power grid infrastructure system. EEU CEO Getu Gremu evaluated the plan as having milestone value. He stated that upgrading the power distribution network is crucial for the long-term development of the country and can effectively promote Ethiopia's economic development and social transformation.

The demand for electricity has significantly increased

Driven by factors such as population growth, urbanization, industrial development, and the popularization of electric transportation, it is expected that by 2049, the peak electricity consumption in Ethiopia will increase from the current 4300 megawatts to 39000 megawatts, nearly doubling in scale. To meet the increasing demand for electricity, the country plans to build 128 new substations over the next 25 years.

Staged promotion of power grid construction

The plan adopts a phased implementation model. The short-term work focuses on upgrading and expanding distribution facilities, constructing 16500 kilometers of medium voltage lines, renovating 9700 kilometers of existing lines, upgrading 21800 distribution transformers, and adding 6945 megavolt amperes of transformer capacity. The short-term project is expected to invest 1.3 billion US dollars, with Addis Ababa allocating 575 million US dollars and Oromia Region arranging 478 million US dollars. Keywords: Ethiopia, modernization of power distribution, expansion of power grid, power planning

The Ethiopian Electricity Distribution Company stated that this long-term plan is committed to improving the stability of the distribution network operation, reducing power loss, ensuring the carrying capacity of the power grid, and continuously adapting to the electricity demand generated by rapid economic development.Editor/Gong Ziwei