Ethiopia
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866 Second Avenue, 3rd Floor ? New York, N.Y. 10017
STATEMENT
BY
H.E. MR. ALEMAYEHU TEGENU
MINISTER OF MINES AND ENERGY
FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA
At THE
FOURTEENTH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT (CSD-14)
UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK
11 MAY, 2006
Check against delivery
PERMANENT MISSION OF THE FEDERAL
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA
TO THE UNITED NATIONS
Thank you Mr. Chairman for giving me the floor,
On behalf of my delegation and on my own allow me to congratulate you and the
other members of the bureau on your election to guide the 14 session of the Commission
on Sustainable Development. My delegation would like to associate itself with the
statement made by the representative of South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 and
China. As many delegations who spoke before me, let me emphasize the integrated
nature of the four themes under discussion. I would focus my intervention on our efforts
to expand access to modem sources of energy .
The energy situation in Ethiopia is characterized by lack of access to electricity
and modem energy services . More than 83% of the population in Ethiopia does not have
access to electricity and more than 94% of the population relies on fuel wood as their
main service of energy for cooking and heating . The availability of energy, especially
electrical power, offers economic development opportunities and contributes
substantially to the reduction of poverty, protection of the environment as well as to
achievement of the Millennium Development Goals .
Mr. Chairman,
I would like to share with you my country's effort on the electricity sector
development to meet energy requirement of the country for sustainable development .
Ethiopia is endowed with abundant hydro-power potential which is estimated at
45,000 MW. This potential is the second largest in Africa.
Up to now, we have developed less than 3% of our potential . In order to help
eradicate poverty and to realize social transformation, Ethiopia has recently launched an
aggressive but attainable Universal Electrification Access Program (UEAP). The
objective of Universal Electrification Access Program is to extend the national electricity
access for 6,000 villages, towns and irrigation water supply sites by 2010 . This will
increase the access to electricity from the current 17 per cent to 50% of the estimated 87
million people by 2010.
The key to achieving the targets we have set for access to energy would be
through increasing our hydro power generation . Ethiopia has a number of hydro projects
under construction . There are also six hydro projects whose feasibility study is ready and
bankable for public and private financing .
One unique feature of our energy development program is its regional dimension .
In addition to the projects I mentioned above, there are four regional projects under prefeasibility
study whose total installed capacity is more than 5000 MW. These would be
accompanied by regional interconnection programs with our neighboring countries . In
this regard, as part of the Nile Basin initiative, we have the Eastern Nile Power Trade
Investment Program which includes Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt .
1
I would like to emphasize that these generation, transmission and distribution
projects have taken into consideration international standard of environmental and social
impact .
Mr. Chairman,
Implementation of our national energy program and making our communities
benefit from it is not going to be easy . There are many challenges . One of the challenges
in developing hydro-power potential is its huge investment outlays. Here we need our
development partners to proactively engage in addressing the shortage of investment by
devising a smooth financing scheme compatible with our development need without any
delay and unacceptable preconditions .
One of the most important issues that my government recognizes in its strategy is
how to address the dependence on fuel wood. Currently, the main source of energy
services at household levels is fuel wood . This has been associated with massive
deforestation and resultant land degradation. The increasing scarcity of fuel wood is also
compounded by high population growth rate . The situation can only be reversed through
rapid economic growth in the rural areas . This demands, with respect to the energy
economy, the expansion of rural electrification which in turn demand, strong
participation of the community and private sector to provide the energy services
including the development of renewable energy resources like solar, wind and geothermal.
This will be promoted through capacity building like at HH level efficient
cooking stoves should be done to attain self-sufficiency .
Finally, I call up on all to support our energy development program to bring
sustainable development and end poverty .
I thank you.
R' 6.' n, : gym. P~C i
866 Second Avenue, 3rd Floor ? New York, N.Y. 10017
STATEMENT
BY
H.E. MR. ALEMAYEHU TEGENU
MINISTER OF MINES AND ENERGY
FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA
At THE
FOURTEENTH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT (CSD-14)
UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK
11 MAY, 2006
Check against delivery
PERMANENT MISSION OF THE FEDERAL
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA
TO THE UNITED NATIONS
Thank you Mr. Chairman for giving me the floor,
On behalf of my delegation and on my own allow me to congratulate you and the
other members of the bureau on your election to guide the 14 session of the Commission
on Sustainable Development. My delegation would like to associate itself with the
statement made by the representative of South Africa on behalf of the Group of 77 and
China. As many delegations who spoke before me, let me emphasize the integrated
nature of the four themes under discussion. I would focus my intervention on our efforts
to expand access to modem sources of energy .
The energy situation in Ethiopia is characterized by lack of access to electricity
and modem energy services . More than 83% of the population in Ethiopia does not have
access to electricity and more than 94% of the population relies on fuel wood as their
main service of energy for cooking and heating . The availability of energy, especially
electrical power, offers economic development opportunities and contributes
substantially to the reduction of poverty, protection of the environment as well as to
achievement of the Millennium Development Goals .
Mr. Chairman,
I would like to share with you my country's effort on the electricity sector
development to meet energy requirement of the country for sustainable development .
Ethiopia is endowed with abundant hydro-power potential which is estimated at
45,000 MW. This potential is the second largest in Africa.
Up to now, we have developed less than 3% of our potential . In order to help
eradicate poverty and to realize social transformation, Ethiopia has recently launched an
aggressive but attainable Universal Electrification Access Program (UEAP). The
objective of Universal Electrification Access Program is to extend the national electricity
access for 6,000 villages, towns and irrigation water supply sites by 2010 . This will
increase the access to electricity from the current 17 per cent to 50% of the estimated 87
million people by 2010.
The key to achieving the targets we have set for access to energy would be
through increasing our hydro power generation . Ethiopia has a number of hydro projects
under construction . There are also six hydro projects whose feasibility study is ready and
bankable for public and private financing .
One unique feature of our energy development program is its regional dimension .
In addition to the projects I mentioned above, there are four regional projects under prefeasibility
study whose total installed capacity is more than 5000 MW. These would be
accompanied by regional interconnection programs with our neighboring countries . In
this regard, as part of the Nile Basin initiative, we have the Eastern Nile Power Trade
Investment Program which includes Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt .
1
I would like to emphasize that these generation, transmission and distribution
projects have taken into consideration international standard of environmental and social
impact .
Mr. Chairman,
Implementation of our national energy program and making our communities
benefit from it is not going to be easy . There are many challenges . One of the challenges
in developing hydro-power potential is its huge investment outlays. Here we need our
development partners to proactively engage in addressing the shortage of investment by
devising a smooth financing scheme compatible with our development need without any
delay and unacceptable preconditions .
One of the most important issues that my government recognizes in its strategy is
how to address the dependence on fuel wood. Currently, the main source of energy
services at household levels is fuel wood . This has been associated with massive
deforestation and resultant land degradation. The increasing scarcity of fuel wood is also
compounded by high population growth rate . The situation can only be reversed through
rapid economic growth in the rural areas . This demands, with respect to the energy
economy, the expansion of rural electrification which in turn demand, strong
participation of the community and private sector to provide the energy services
including the development of renewable energy resources like solar, wind and geothermal.
This will be promoted through capacity building like at HH level efficient
cooking stoves should be done to attain self-sufficiency .
Finally, I call up on all to support our energy development program to bring
sustainable development and end poverty .
I thank you.
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