The installation of Abbay Dam's five turbines gives impetus to country's economy and the region apart from flickering hope for millions of Ethiopians who do not have access to electricity, said water resource researchers.
In an interview with Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA), the hydro-politics researcher, who is also the member of Abbay Dam negotiating team, Yacob Arsano (PhD) said that the five turbines that are being installed at the Abbay Dam have immense benefit to boost power supply locally and to the international market.
The already operating two turbines are also supporting the national grid to satisfy a large number of citizens who are in dire need of electricity, he added.
The national effort to operate seven turbines this fiscal year is an inspiring move to deal with power dearth in rural areas and increase energy supply to industries, he noted.
In addition, it also boosts the Ethiopia's capacity to export a relatively high amount of energy to neighboring countries, according to Yacob.
"Djibouti and Sudan demand more power from Ethiopia. Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan are also other countries that are approving their demand to import electricity. One of the significance of the construction of the dam is for this purpose, he said adding that "I think, the operation of the five turbines will benefit all these countries as well," he indicated.
Water Resource Researcher at Addis Ababa University, Prof. Admasu Gebeyehu on his part expressed that the operation of the five turbines is almost equivalent to one-third of the full operation of the dam.
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He believed that the turbines installation and operation is a great move as its helps to address power shortage in the manufacturing sector.
Prof. Admasu considers this progress as a signal that shows the project doesn't cause a significant harm in a way that has been complained by lower riparian countries.
A report issued by Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) indicates that the national power generation capacity reached 5,200 MW which is far less than the demand of millions of Ethiopians.
To meet the demand, the government has been working with a ten-year plan to develop hydro, wind and geothermal power generating plants while realizing the full operationalization of Abbay dam is also one of major plans, according to EEP.
