Addis Abeba — Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) announced on Wednesday a major power outage impacting towns in eastern Ethiopia, the Ethio-Djibouti railway, and parts of Djibouti, caused by theft on the 230-kilovolt Kokaa-Hurso power transmission line.

In a statement, Alemayehu Zeberga, Director of the Operations and Maintenance Directorate for the central two regions, stated that the damage occurred due to the theft of a power transmission tower in the Afar Region, Awash Fentale district, Benti kebele, in an area known as Awash Park.

Alemayehu said the theft resulted in significant damage to the power transmission line. "The power outage is due to the theft of a power transmission tower, which has severely affected the power supply to the eastern part of the country and Djibouti," said Alemayehu.

He further explained that seven additional power transmission towers are also in a precarious state. "A team of technical experts has been dispatched to the site to assess the damage and begin repairs," he said, adding that the repair of the damaged transmission tower is expected to take more than 20 days.

According to the director, efforts are underway to supply electricity to the affected towns through alternative means until full restoration. He urged the public to remain patient during this period, stating, "We are doing our best to minimize the disruption by exploring alternative options for power supply."

Alemayehu said The incident follows similar damage to nine power transmission poles along the 132-kilovolt railway line between Metehara and Awash. He expressed concern over the rise in thefts targeting power infrastructure in Awash Fentale.