Politics
Abraham Belay Appointed Head of Ethiopia’s Nuclear Energy Commission
BirrMetrics · 4 hours ago · Read the Full Story on BirrMetrics
AI SUMMARY
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has appointed Abraham Belay as the new Commissioner of the Ethiopian Nuclear Energy Commission to lead the country's emerging nuclear power program.
- Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appointed Abraham Belay as Commissioner of the Ethiopian Nuclear Energy Commission, effective September 24, 2026.
- Abraham succeeds Sandokan Debebe, who served as the inaugural leader of the newly established institution.
- The Ethiopian Nuclear Energy Commission was established in 2025 under Council of Ministers Regulation No. 575/2025 to coordinate the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology.
- The commission's mandate spans electricity generation as well as applications in healthcare, agriculture, industry, research, and environmental protection.
- Ethiopia is currently working on feasibility studies and institutional preparations for its first commercial nuclear power plant.
- The nuclear program has gained momentum through expanding cooperation with Russia and its state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom.
- Critical project details such as final generating capacity, location, financing structure, reactor configuration, construction cost, and timetable have not yet been announced.
- Establishing a nuclear power plant requires developing extensive safety and security architectures, specialised legislation, emergency preparedness systems, and waste management arrangements.
- Integrating a large continuous nuclear facility into Ethiopia's electricity grid will require significant transmission infrastructure and system stability planning.
- Abraham previously served as head of Ethiopian Electric Power, Minister of Innovation and Technology, Minister of Defence, and Minister of Irrigation and Lowlands.
- Ethiopia has been a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency since 1957, with a history of utilizing nuclear technology in medicine, agriculture, and research.
- The nuclear push aims to diversify Ethiopia's electricity supply alongside hydropower, geothermal, wind, and solar sources to meet growing industrial and domestic demand.
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