Ethiopia generated $76.62 million in revenue from electricity exports during the first quarter of the 2026/27 fiscal year, surpassing its target by 26 percent as the country strengthened its position as a regional power supplier. According to Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), the utility had forecast $60.9 million from exports but achieved $76.62 million, reaching 126 percent of its quarterly goal.
Total revenue from domestic and international electricity sales and related services, including fibre-optic cable leasing, reached Birr 31 billion, exceeding the quarterly target of Birr 27.28 billion by 14 percent. This also represented an increase of Birr 4 billion compared with the same period the previous year. Domestic sales accounted for nearly 79 percent of total revenue, while exports made up the remaining 21 percent, showing the growing significance of foreign electricity sales to Ethiopia's currency earnings.
The country generated more than 7,567 gigawatt-hours of electricity during the quarter against a planned target of 7,975 GWh, achieving 95.1 percent of its production goal. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam was the largest contributor, producing 3,789.73 GWh or approximately 50 percent of total output, while the Gibe III hydropower plant supplied 1,021 GWh, representing 13.5 percent. Hydropower dominated generation with 7,388.17 GWh or 98 percent of total electricity, with wind power making up the remaining 2 percent at 179.49 GWh.
On the domestic revenue side, the Ethiopian Electric Utility accounted for 48 percent of income, while technology companies contributed 26.7 percent, large industries represented 3.6 percent, and the Ethio-Djibouti Railway accounted for 0.38 percent. During the quarter, 91.04 percent of generated electricity was supplied to the domestic market, with the remainder exported to neighbouring countries.
EEP reported progress in expanding installed generation capacity during the period. Seven turbines at the Aysha II wind power project, with a combined capacity of 17.5 MW, entered operation during the quarter, bringing Ethiopia's total installed generation capacity to 9,747.5 MW. The development is expected to support efforts to diversify energy sources, improve electricity supply and increase capacity to serve both domestic consumers and regional markets.