NAIROBI, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Ministers in charge of electricity from Eastern African countries started a three-day meeting in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, on Tuesday to promote regional trade in electricity.

The 18th Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) Council of Ministers meeting brought together senior government officials from 13 African countries in order to advance regional cooperation in the energy sector.

In his opening remarks, Davis Chirchir, Kenyan cabinet secretary for energy and petroleum, said that governments in the region are committed to approving policies, plans and budgets which will help to scale up the interconnectivity of the eastern African national electricity grid going forward.

Chirchir added that Kenya has already reaped the rewards of regional integration through bilateral frameworks including the importation of 200 MW of renewable energy from Ethiopia and engaging in energy exchange with Uganda.

"These initiatives have ensured a reliable energy supply and reduced electricity outage risks," he added.

James Wahogo, the secretary-general of the EAPP, noted that significant progress has been achieved in the implementation of cross-border transmission projects aimed at strengthening regional connectivity and ensuring energy solutions and power trade across Africa.

"Countries in EAPP are currently trading over 3,400 GWh annually, which represents a big achievement compared to the 504 GWh in 2005," Wahogo said.

He revealed that there are plans to complete, commission and operationalize the Egypt-Libya, Egypt-Sudan, Ethiopia-Djibouti electricity transmission line.

Sidonius Okaasai Opolot, Ugandan minister of state for energy, said that regional trade is designed to move electricity from countries of surplus production to countries with deficit production.

Opolot said that the Eastern Africa region is now experiencing a new frontier of industrialization which has created the need for reliable and green electricity supply. Enditem

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