General Electric Company (GE), the U.S. multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in New York and headquartered in Connecticut, U.S., will next week send its delegates here to hold talks with the Ethiopian Electric and Power Corporation (EEPCo) on renewable energy investment projects in Ethiopia, Mekuria Lemma, EEPCo’s Corporate Planning Head told The Reporter. GE, one of the world’s leaders in advanced technology, especially in the energy sector, has already shown interest to invest in Ethiopia in the renewable energy sector, according to Meheret Debebe, EEPCo’s CEO.

“GE has through the Ethiopian Embassy to the United Sates have contacted us and told us that they have interest to invest in Ethiopia,” Mekuria said. “However, the specific energy sub-sectors or ventures the company will be investing in and the amount of the investment outlays are yet to be known after the company holds talks with EEPCo and other concerned government offices and authorities.”

Sources said that representatives of GE has recently met with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and expressed their interest to venture in the energy sector in Ethiopia.

The company is expected to invest in wind and solar energy projects, according to Mekuria. “We have shown to GE representatives the five-year Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) very recently and we expect them to come up with a concrete plan.”

According to Mekuria, GE will provide the finance by itself for the investment projects it will be launching in Ethiopia.

The energy and mining sectors have been attracting a number of U.S. companies, including the recently emerged U.S. energy company, Blue Diamond, which is poised to launch wind energy projects here, according Mekuria.

GE operates in over 100 countries across the globe and employs about 300,000 people worldwide, according to information posted at one of the U.S. giant conglomerates which used to generate a quarter of the world’s electricity every day.

ER