Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), in collaboration with the Danish Energy Agency, is conducting a comprehensive assessment of four major power projects to identify internal challenges contributing to project delays and to strengthen overall project implementation.
The assessment covers the Assela, Southern Grid Expansion, Aysha II, and Koysha Hydropower projects. Initial draft study reports on the Koysha and Aysha II power generation projects were recently presented and discussed in a forum attended by EEP Chief Executive Officer, Engineer Ashebir Balcha.
Speaking at the discussion, Ato Tewodros Yosef, Manager of the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Office under EEP’s Corporate Planning Sector and Chairperson of the study team, said the survey is being carried out jointly with experts from the Danish Energy Agency. He explained that the study engaged a wide range of stakeholders, including project owners, contractors, consultants, project staff, local communities, and administrative bodies.
According to Ato Tewodros, the study examined seven key areas: institutional knowledge management and learning, contract document preparation, coordination between project offices and other departments, the status of corporate social responsibility implementation, relationships between contractors, consultants, and government institutions, monitoring and evaluation systems, and project implementation planning.
The draft report identified several gaps, including the failure to systematically document and transfer lessons learned from completed projects, unclear contract documents, limited internal evaluation practices, weak coordination and communication among departments, and the absence of clear social responsibility implementation plans.
He noted that the presentation of the draft report aimed to collect feedback from relevant stakeholders and emphasized that the findings would support the development of improved procedures for project execution and strengthen EEP’s monitoring and evaluation capacity.
Mr. Peter Høyer, Senior Advisor at the Danish Energy Agency and a member of the study team, said energy institutions in Denmark have established systems for documenting challenges and lessons learned during project implementation, making them easily accessible for future use. He added that a “Stage Gate” model is employed to guide projects from inception to completion, enabling senior management to make informed decisions and monitor progress effectively.
Mr. Høyer stated that these practices are being shared with Ethiopian Electric Power and noted that benchmarking and pilot applications would be introduced to enhance project performance.
Dr. Dereje Fente, an advisor and study team member, emphasized the importance of expanding lessons learned from completed projects to others and strengthening community participation and social responsibility initiatives to improve project outcomes.
Concluding the discussion, EEP Chief Executive Officer Engineer Ashebir Balcha acknowledged that despite significant budget allocations for various projects, challenges remain in completing them within planned timeframes and costs. He said the study would serve as a critical input for improving the success of future projects.
Engineer Ashebir directed project management teams to address recurring challenges, systematically organize and transfer project knowledge, prepare consistent and timely reports, establish decision-oriented project information systems, and strengthen monitoring and evaluation frameworks. He also stressed the need to include self-financed projects within the scope of the assessment and called for further consultations with relevant stakeholders to ensure timely implementation of the study’s recommendations.
Participants at the forum also raised questions and provided suggestions for enhancing the study’s findings, which were addressed during the discussion.
