Name of the Project
Gibe III dam.

Location
The project is located south-west of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.

Client
Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo).

Project Description
The 243-m-high, roller-compacted Gibe III dam is under construction on the Omo river, about 380 km south of Addis Ababa. It is the third in a series of cascading hydroelectric projects in the region, including the 184 MW Gibe I and 420 MW Gibe II.

Once completed, the Gibe III dam will be the largest hydroelectric plant in Africa, with a power output of about 1 870 MW. The dam will have ten installed turbines and be equipped with seven spillways, with water to the power house flowing from the dam through two tunnels, each 1.2 km long.

The power house will accommodate ten turbines.

The power generated by the power plant at Gibe III will be delivered to an interconnected system through a double-circuit high-voltage, 400 kV overhead transmission line, which will export power from Wolyta Sodo, Ethiopia, to the Suswa substation near Naivasha, Kenya.

In addition to the first three facilities, the Ethiopian government has indicated that it has plans to build two additional facilities on the Omo river – the 1 450 MW Gibe IV and 660 MW Gibe V.

Jobs to be Created
Not stated.

Value
The dam will cost about €1.47-billion to construct.

Duration
The project started generating electricity in October 2015.

The transmission line is expected to be completed in 2018.

Latest Developments
Electricity generation at the Gibe III hydropower dam has hit 800 MW after the sixth turbine was switched on.

Ethiopia Energy Minister Eng Wondimu Tekle has said that although the completion of the project is running behind schedule, the plant is now supplying 800 MW to the national grid, following the completion of a high-voltage transmission line connecting the plant to the grid.

Six of the ten turbines are now functioning fully and the construction of the 400 kV transmission line, which will evacuate power from Gibe III to the national grid, has also been completed.

The 380 km line runs from Wolaiyta Sodo to Sebeta, through Akaki.

The project has also involved construction of two distribution stations and the expansion of an existing old distribution station in Sebeta.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Salini Costruttori (dam construction).

On Budget and on Time?
Completion of the hydropower dam had been slated for June this year, but has now been postponed to March next year.

While Gibe III has missed several deadlines for starting generation, the project has also faced funding constraints. Owing to the determined opposition of international nongovernmental organisations, government has had to forsake funding options from the likes of the European Investment Bank and the World Bank, and look instead to China for funding to finish the project.

A Chinese $460-million loan came with one important condition – part of the hydro construction contract was taken away from the Italian firm Salini Impreglio3 and given to the Chinese Firm Dongfang Electric Corporation.

The late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said Ethiopia would not accept criticism from those who had developed their own countries, but would not allow countries like his to develop.

Zenawi said Ethiopia would now turn to nonwestern development partners like China to help it build the future Gibe IV and V hydroelectric generators on the river.

Contact Details for Project Information
EEPCo, tel +251 11 1 55 95 67, fax +251 01 1 56 00 28 or email eepcocommunication@yahoo.com.
Salini Costruttori external relations, Angela Randolph, tel +39 06 6776412 or email a.randolph@salini.it.