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Ethiopia: Power Crisis Prompts Surge in Sale of Generators
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The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa)
8 May 2008
Posted to the web 8 May 2008
Addis Abeba
Recent power cuts in electricity might be a source of embarrassment and bad business for the business community in various sectors, but electric equipment suppliers are selling the much needed generators like hell, The Daily Monitor has learnt.
Owing to poor performance of seasonal rains, electric power is short supply in Addis Ababa where a district receives power five days a week. Officials say the power cut has seriously hurt small businesses which depend heavily on electricity. But big businesses are purchasing Dc generators in an apparent reason to prevent from being affected in their profit making due to interruption of power interruption. Big Hotels and even cafeterias, internet centers and few garment shops better known as boutiques at Merkato are installing generators as a result of which the volume of sales at distributors has seen marked increases.
Bekalu Assefa, sales supervisor with Hagbes plc, a mechanical engineering company told The Daily Monitor that rotational distribution of power created difference in the sales of DC generators greatly.
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"Small generators with 2.0 horse power have been sold much more than before, since mid of March.," he said. Bekalu said his company was seeing more interest for the generators from private companies such as publishers, printers, and service institutions. According to cloths and shoes shop owner Betibku Tesfahun, the best thing to do in this situation was to buy those generators to make both ends meet with out having to allow a decline in the business. "The rationale behind the need to install generators is to save the revenue with in the time gap," Betibku said. Other businessmen observed that the business community has no choice but to try and buy generators to remain in business even in the face of rising costs of fuel.
"We will be forced to buy generators even if the cost of diesel is getting increasingly on the rise. Think of when internet or computer stops while you are working critical activity" Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation announced shortage and the need of power rationing to cope 80 MW less than the amount needed.
Economists warn that power rationing can cost the business community more than 1.1 billion Birr in the period. Currently EPCO connects 350,000 customers with in 12% geographical coverage of the country.
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