Minister Alemayehu Tegenu told Reuters the government had identified the potential for specific hydro, wind, geothermal and solar projects over the next 10 years.  

"Once all of those resources are exploited we can become a major power exporter, generating 15,000 MW," Alemayehu said. "Foreign companies are welcome to explore investment potential."  

Ethiopia now generates about 1,500 MW and that will rise to almost 2,000 MW when a new hydropower dam opens in 2010, Alemayehu said, adding the country will export to her neighbors once the project is complete.  

"We are working on interconnection infrastructure between Ethiopia and Sudan and Ethiopia and Djibouti so we can beat our shortages and export," he said in an interview.

"We will finish the work by 2010 and will have sufficient power to export."  

Ethiopia is mainly powered by seven hydropower dams, two of which opened this year. Alemayehu said the two new dams and the one due to open in February 2010 should end the power shortages.  

The minister said Ethiopia would use the interconnection infrastructure to export and also to pool power between the countries during shortages.  Ethiopia in September agreed preliminary deals with Chinese firms, China Gezhouba Group Company and Sinohydro Corporation, to build two more hydropower projects.  

The government also signed an agreement with the Hydrochina company for the construction of two wind farms to be reserved for emergency power shortages.  

In a related development, Kenya wants to invest in hydroelectric plants in neighboring Ethiopia to ensure the country secures enough energy imports to cover a domestic supply shortfall, Bloomberg quoted Kenya Electricity Generating Co. as saying.   

KenGen CEO Eddy Njoroge and Kenyan Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi will hold meetings with government officials in Addis Ababa next week to discuss the proposal, Njoroge said. 

“We want to be equity holders,” said Njoroge. “Ethiopia has good hydropower potential and it’s very cheap.”