Name and Location
Gilgel Gibe III dam, Ethiopia.

Client
Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo).

Project Description
The 243-m-high roller-compacted Gilgel 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 existing Gibe I and Gibe II dams, as well as the Gibe IV (1 472 MW) and Gibe V (560 MW) dams.

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 be equipped with seven spillways and water to the power house will flow 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 400 kV overhead transmission line that connects Gibe III to a new substation at Sodo.

This line will be 65 km long.

Value
The dam will cost about $1.7-billion to construct.

Duration
The project is expected to be completed in 2014.

Latest Developments
The dam is expected to start initial generation of 187 MW in the next 15 months, according project manager Azeb Asnake.

About 56% of the construction works of the controversial dam is complete and electricity generation from one of the ten turbine units will start in the third quarter of next year.

The project update comes amid renewed opposition to the dam.

Environmentalists opposed to the project, International Rivers and Friends of Lake Turkana, have called on the United Nations to force financiers to withdraw funding for the project.

According to the lobby groups, the dam will significantly reduce the water levels downstream, posing real threats to Lake Turkana and endangering the lives of about 500 000, which could ignite conflicts among communities.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Salini Costruttori (dam construction).

On Budget and on Time?
The decision to build a roller-compacted dam instead of a rock-filled dam has delayed the project start-up.

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