Name and Location
Grand Renaissance dam hydropower project, Ethiopia.

Client
Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo).

Project Description
The Grand Renaissance dam hydropower project, located on the Abay river, in the Beneshangul Gumuz region, envisages a plant with an installed capacity of 6 000 MW that will supply 15 692 GWh/y.

The major components of the project include:
• a 145-m-high roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dam with a 1 780-m-long crest;
• a saddle dam, 4 800 m long and 45 m high, will be rock-filled, with 24 upstream bituminous facing;
• two outdoor powerhouses of 3 750 MW and 2 250 MW installed capacity, containing ten and six generating units respectively, each with a capacity of 375 MW; and
• a 500 kV switchyard, which will transmit power from the two power houses to the grid.

The main dam and saddle dam will create 74-billion cubic metres of impounding capacity, with a surface area of 1 680 km2 at full capacity.

A gated spillway, equipped with six radial gates and with a discharge capacity of 14 700 m3/s at probable maximum flood occurrence will be located on the left side of the main dam.

A saddle dam on the left side of the RCC dam, with an emergency side spillway, is envisaged to allow for flood discharged directly into the Roseires reservoir.

Construction of 123 km of access roads, as well as camps, workshops and other civil works, form part of the activities for the project.

Value
The project is valued at an estimated $4.8-billion.

Duration
Completion is expected in 2015.

Latest Developments
Ethiopia’s Ministry of Mines has brought an end to London-listed Nyota Minerals’ plans to conduct alluvial mining along parts of the Abay river and its tributaries that would be flooded for the construction of the Grand Renaissance dam.

The Ministry has decided against issuing any mining licences for alluvial mining along parts of the river and its tributaries, as the success of the new dam and its intended transformation of the Ethiopian economy is important to the country’s national interest.

It notes that the risk of any negative impact arising from any mining activities outweigh the potential economic gains from gold royalties and taxes generated before flooding occurs.

The Ministry has indicated that its decision not to approve the application for a mining licence – submitted by Nyota subsidiary Towchester Investment Company in April last year – is in “no way” a reflection of the application or the applicant.

Nyota has said that it will not appeal the decision, as this will be “a nonproductive use of resources”, owing to what it perceives as a “negligible chance of success”.

Further, although its Brantham and Towchester exploration licences have been renewed, the Ethiopian government has imposed an exclusion zone around the area to be flooded by the Grand Renaissance dam.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Salini Costruttori, a subsidiary of Salini Impregilo (construction contract) and Alstom (turbine and generators).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
EEPCo, tel +251 11 1 55 95 67, fax +251 11 1 57 1860 or email eepcocommunication@yahoo.com.
Alstom VP corporate external communications, Christine Rahard-Burnat, tel +33 1 41 49 32 95 or
email Christine.rahard@chq.alstom.com.
Salini Impregilo, tel +39 06 67761, fax +39 06 6776288 or email info@salini-impregilo.com.