Ethiopia Electric Power plans to expand its electricity transmission network by 8,689 kilometres in the 2025/26 fiscal year, aiming to strengthen grid capacity and reduce service disruptions, the company’s performance monitoring and evaluation director, Yohannes Tonja, said.

The programme will include the construction of 1,218 kilometres of medium-voltage lines, 308.7 kilometres of low-voltage lines, and the installation of 1,893 transformers. Preparatory work will also be undertaken to integrate the new lines with the main transmission network, covering 86,789 kilometres of medium-voltage and 92,572 kilometres of low-voltage lines, alongside transformer pre-maintenance.

The expansion builds on efforts launched in the 2018 fiscal year to improve service reliability. According to Ethiopia Electric Power, these measures have reduced load shedding by 30 percent and cut the duration of power interruptions by 38 percent. For the coming fiscal year, the utility aims to further reduce transmission losses by 10 percent.