Ethiopia is working to exploit its renewable energy resources to execute a carbon neutral development program, according to the country’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. He noted that Ethiopia had 60,000 MW of electricity via hydropower with the government investing not only for domestic use, but also to generate revenue by exporting the renewable energy to neighboring countries.
Zenawi said the Gilgel Gibe ІІІ project was proved environmental friendly through an environmental impact assessment study carried out by the Ethiopian government itself and independent financiers such as the Africa Development Bank (fADB).
The study found that apart from regulating the flow of water, building a dam does not change the volume of water flowing in the river system negatively, nor would the project affect the volume of water flowing to Lake Turkana at any rate.
Ethiopia has already reached an agreement to sell electricity generated from the Gilgel Gibe ІІІ project to Kenya, with Zenawi highlighting that building dams in the highlands of Ethiopia could save up to three billion cubic meters of water.