ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government has warned of the potential impact of the anticipated El Nino phenomenon on the country's hydropower-reliant energy supply, calling for proactive measures.
The Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), a state-owned enterprise managing the East African nation's power generation, high-voltage transmission grids, and bulk electricity exports, said in a statement issued over the weekend that in countries like Ethiopia, which rely overwhelmingly on hydropower, the occurrence of El Nino poses a "huge challenge" to the power supply system.
Noting that more than 90 percent of the country's electricity is generated from hydroelectric dams, the EEP said that in addition to causing extreme weather conditions and agricultural disruptions, El Nino events threaten the stability and security of the national electric grid.
The EEP stressed that El Nino-induced temperature increases often distort global wind and rainfall distribution patterns, causing severe droughts and water shortages. It warned that such events frequently impair energy supplies by reducing water levels in hydropower reservoirs.
Highlighting that reduced rainfall significantly decreases water inflows into hydro dams, the enterprise highlighted that when water levels drop below minimum generation thresholds, turbines cannot operate at full capacity.
It further warned that a growing gap between electricity supply and demand will force distribution stations and control centers to implement rotational power shedding, leading to outages across households and critical economic sectors.
The EEP emphasized that fully understanding the risks of El Nino and taking early action are crucial to mitigating the impact on power security. Key strategic measures include energy source diversification, integrated water resource management, modern weather forecasting, and enhanced energy conservation practices.
Last month, the African Union (AU) called on member states to step up preparedness for the expected 2026/2027 El Nino event, warning that several African regions are likely to face severe droughts, water shortages, devastating floods, prolonged heatwaves, agricultural disruptions, and disease outbreaks. ■