Utility Bills Tipped To Rise Before Year’s End | The Reporter | Latest Ethiopian News Today

Electric power bills are set to surge in the coming months, as the heads of state-run utility companies prepare to cut ‘challenging’ subsidies.

Ashebir Balcha (Eng.), chief of Ethiopian Electric Power, said low energy prices are a “major challenge in the sector” during the UK-Ethiopia Green Tech Forum earlier this week.

Electric power is heavily subsidized in Ethiopia, where only half of the population has access to it, but the decision to raise tariffs comes following a World Bank sponsored study initiated in 2022. An unnamed foreign consultant has prepared a new tariff policy, which is set to be tabled to the Petroleum and Energy Authority and the Council of Ministers for approval.

Ashebir hopes to see the new tariffs implemented before the end of the year.