The Guba-Khartoum project is a high-voltage electricity interconnector between Ethiopia and Sudan and a component of the Eastern Africa Green Power Transmission Network. It is intended to carry up to 3,000 MW and support the wider north-south regional power corridor.
EAPP's preparation work updates the environmental and social assessment for the proposed Ethiopia-Sudan interconnector and builds on an earlier 2016 study. The project is intended to improve supply reliability and unlock coordinated use of the Eastern Nile region's renewable-energy resources.
The project will develop a cross-border high-voltage alternating-current transmission line from Guba in Ethiopia to Khartoum in Sudan. It is one of the interconnections proposed under the Eastern Africa Green Power Transmission Network linking countries in the Horn of Africa and integrating them into the Eastern Africa Power Pool. The approved PAP II technical concept provides a transfer capacity of approximately 3,000 MW and will enable participating countries to exchange lower-cost renewable electricity through a larger regional market.
Verified implementation and technical context: The EAPP assignment requires the updated ESIA to cover transmission lines, substations, ancillary facilities and all linked activities, and to comply with the legal requirements of Ethiopia and Sudan and the World Bank Environmental and Social Framework. The required outputs include updated baseline and impact analysis, an environmental and social management plan, cumulative-impact assessment, resettlement planning, stakeholder engagement, indigenous-peoples planning and gender measures. The proposed line is a second interconnection and must not be confused with the existing Ethiopia-Sudan link. The investment is also affected by the current institutional and security environment in Sudan.
1. Establish a reliable 500 kV HVDC power transmission interconnection between the Ethiopian and Sudanese national grids, leveraging the hydropower surplus of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). 2. Enable large-scale power trade of up to 2,000 MW, reducing Sudan's dependence on expensive oil-based thermal power generation. 3. Reduce power generation costs in Sudan through efficient cross-border resource sharing, displacing thermal generation with cheaper renewable hydropower imports. 4. Enhance the reliability and stability of power supply in both Ethiopia and Sudan, including through emergency reserve sharing. 5. Support the physical and market integration of the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP), contributing to the development of a regional electricity market. 6. Contribute to regional energy security and climate goals by facilitating the export of clean hydropower, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Sudan. 7. Create employment and economic opportunities during construction and operation phases.