The African Development Bank is to approve a 231 million US dollar loan for the Ethiopia-Kenya power interconnection project said officials from the bank. 
The board of directors of the African Bank will be expected to appraise the project in the first quarter of the current financial before giving final approval according to Halima Hashi Ethiopian Country Program Officer for the AfDB.
The Ethio-Kenya power interconnection system is planned to provide a reliable power supply to Kenya from Ethiopian hydro electric power supplies.The total length of the intended transmission inside Ethiopia is estimated to be about 434 Kilometers, across the Oromia and Southern Regional States. The transmission line is expected to be a high voltage direct current with a 400KV double circuit line.
The power interconnection project is expected to earn millions of dollars for Ethiopia in power exports according to experts with the Ethiopian Electric and Power Corporation.
In related news the African Bank and the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and Economic Development signed an agreement for a 64 million US dollars loan to finance the road linking Ethiopia with Southern Sudan and a further 163 million US dollars to fund the road linking Ethiopia to the Trans-East Africa highway.
The two road projects are planned to commence by the end of the current budget year said Mumina Wa-Kyendo, Chief Transport Engineer with the AfDB.
The African bank approved the loans for the road projects last November and December.
Source: The Reporter
