Ethiopia's Electric Power Corporation has announced that its hydropower dams currently hold sufficient water to generate the planned power output for the budget year.
Tiruwerk Shiferaw, the Planning Office Manager of the corporation's power generation operations sector, explained that dams must hold enough water for power plants to operate at full capacity. They managed water levels strategically during the dry season, storing large amounts in some plants to generate high power output, while reducing the load on dams with lower water levels to allow them to replenish their reserves.
Currently, all dams hold enough water to meet the planned power generation targets for the budget year, according to Tiruwerk. This includes dams such as Gilgel Gibe I, Fincha, Melka Wakena, Tana Beles, Tekeze, Genale Dawa, Koqa, and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), all of which are full. Gibe III and Amerti Neshe hydropower dams also have sufficient water levels.
She also indicated that efforts are focused on effectively utilizing the water stored in the dams, paying close attention to maintenance, water management, and the supply of spare parts. A survey confirmed that water management in the 2017 budget year was better than in the same period of the previous year.
Information from the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation indicates that they are working towards generating over 25,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity from various sources during the current budget year reported ENA.