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, Egypt and Sudan have selected two firms to conduct studies on the potential impact of Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance dam on the flow of the Nile, an Egyptian official has said.

The leaders of the three countries signed a cooperation deal, in Khartoum, in March that paved the way for a joint approach to regional water supplies.

Cairo and Addis Ababa had previously been locked in a war of words over Ethiopia's $4-billion project.

Egypt, which relies almost exclusively on the Nile for farming, industry and domestic water use, has sought assurances that the dam will not significantly cut the rivers flow to its rapidly growing population.

Ethiopia, the source of the Blue Nile, which joins the White Nile, in Khartoum, and continues to Egypt, says the dam will not disrupt flow. It hopes the project will transform the country into a power hub for the electricity-hungry region.

The names of the firms have not been made public, with the three countries having agreed to announce them once they get a response from both companies by May 4, but they have told Reuters the countries were French and Dutch.

One of the firms will be the main consultant and the other a subconsultant to undertake water and environmental studies.

They will compile the study over an 11-month period before publishing their recommendations.

The 6 000-MW Grand Renaissance Dam being built by Italy's biggest construction firm Salini Impregilo is the centrepiece of Ethiopia’s bid to become Africa’s biggest power exporter.

Officials say 50% of its construction has so far been completed.

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.