The Power Generation Operation sector of Ethiopian Electric Power has announced that maintenance work carried out by the department’s staff at various power plants has significantly improved power generation efficiency during the first half of the fiscal year.

Mrs. Tiruwork Shiferaw, Manager of the Planning Office in the sector, explained that extensive maintenance activities were carried out independently at several power plants during the first six months of 2017 Ethiopian Fiscal Year (EFY).

Key achievements include repairing malfunctioning turbines at the Tekeze and Tis Abay 2 power plants and completing nozzle tip maintenance at the Gilgel Gibe 2 power plant. These efforts have resulted in a noticeable increase in generation capacity at these power plants.

The maintenance work, including preventing trash from entering water intakes, was conducted without affecting the safety of the reservoirs.

To support these efforts, framework agreements have been signed with both international and domestic companies, including Voith Hydro, Emerson Control, Dongfang Electric, and Dirk Automation, to supply spare parts for the power plants.

In addition to maintenance, the power plants have implemented modernization initiatives to enhance operational systems.

Mrs. Tiruwork highlighted the adoption of advanced technologies, such as vehicle management systems, workflow control mechanisms, and improved health and safety procedures, to streamline maintenance management.

As a result of these efforts, power generation efficiency has seen a remarkable improvement. Over the past six months, the plants have produced 13,504.2 gigawatt-hours of electricity, exceeding the planned target by 15.6%.
This achievement reflects the success of the maintenance initiatives and the sector’s commitment to optimizing power generation capacity and ensuring a reliable energy supply.