Ethiopia said Thursday it has launched an urban electric power expansion project at a cost of 650 million birr (74 million U.S. dollars) to improve the electric power supply in seven major cities of the nation.

At a stakeholders' meeting organized to discuss the implementation of the project, Mihret Debebe, general manager of the state-owned Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO), said the project will improve electric power supply of Addis Ababa, Nazareth, Bahir Dar, Dire Dawa, Mekele, Jimma, Dessie and Awassa cities.

Improving electric power infrastructure in major cities will play a crucial role toward the success of the ongoing economic development program of the nation, Mihret said.

He said the project was designed to address the growing electric power demand of the towns with a minimum impact on the environment.

Mihret said the 22-month project includes the extension of nearly 400-km underground cable system in place of the current overhead lines.

The stakeholders' meeting was aimed at synchronizing the electric power infrastructure with the constructions of other social facilities such as telecommunication and water sewerage systems in the cities.

Ethiopia has a potential to produce 15-45,000 mega watt electric power but only 15 percent of population have access to the electric power services.

Source: Xinhua