The program aims at combining the on-grid and off-grid system, reaching 65 percent of the total population through on-grid electrification, while the remaining 35 percent through off-grid service provision.
The NEP 2nd phase program requires $6 billion in direct investment and technical assistance.
Speaking at the launching of the program on Friday, Dr. Seleshi Bekele, Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy said that the design of NEP 2.0 brings together all stakeholders and development partners to achieve a full-fledged integrated electrification.
According to Seleshi, achieving Ethiopia’s development vision of trans-formative growth has required timely provision of adequate, affordable and reliable electricity access to all.
To this end, the government has gained significant achievement in connecting 33 percent of the population with on-grid electrification and 11 percent with off-grid service provision, making electricity accessible to 44 percent of the population.
NEP 2.0 has reflected the government’s commitment to revise the country’s electrification program based on implementation progress to achieve universal electricity access goal by 2025, he added.
Noting that Ethiopia is the largest recipient of international development financing program, he said “World bank is committed and it continue its financial and technical assistance for the implementation of the National Electrification Program 2.0. in the energy sector including distribution, transmission and generation activities.”
Through the program Ethiopia, in which half of its population still doesn’t have access to electricity, has planned to realize universal access to electricity by 2025.