MOSCOW, October 21. /TASS/. Moscow will help Addis Ababa to upgrade its 20th-century power plants to enhance Ethiopia’s energy sovereignty, Russian Ambassador to Ethiopia Yevgeny Terekhin told TASS, adding that the details of projects are planned to be discussed at a meeting of the Intergovernmental Russian-Ethiopian commission.

"Upgrading existing plants is an economically feasible and rapid way to increase electricity generation, which can complement Addis Ababa's efforts to increase energy sovereignty," the diplomat said. "We expect the issue to become one of the central items on the agenda of the upcoming meeting of the Intergovernmental Russian-Ethiopian commission on economic, scientific, technical cooperation and trade in November, where joint expert groups may be formed for a detailed technical and economic assessment of projects," he added.

Russian companies have "unique competencies" and proven technologies for modernizing and extending the service life of energy facilities built according to Soviet designs, the diplomat noted. Considering the "significant contribution of the USSR" to the creation of Ethiopia's energy infrastructure, Moscow has offered its partners "comprehensive flexible solutions for upgrading the capacity" of energy facilities and compensating for the work of Russian contractors, Terekhin said, adding that this initiative aims to improve the efficiency and reliability of Ethiopia’s energy system.