Addis Fortune (Addis Ababa)
Menur Seman
24 September 2007
Addis Ababa — Salini Construttori, an Italian contractor, finalised 70pc of the Gilgel Gibe II hydroelectric project that is projected to have the capacity to generate 420mw electrical energy. When launched in December 2007 for testing, the project is expected to upgrade the country's power supply by 60pc.
The Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) last week Friday arranged a trip for participants of the Ninth East African Power Industry Convention held at the Hilton Addis Abeba to the site. Located 250Km Southwest of the capital, the project consists of a shortcut connection between the Gilgel Gibe River Basin and that of the Gibe-Omo River.
Simegnew Bekele, project coordinator of Gilgel Gibe, told Fortune that the total project is worth 490 million euros (6.1 billion Br) including the installation of transmission lines and sub-stations; the Italian government granted 220 million euros (2.7 billion Br) while European Investment Bank (EIB) approved 50 million euros (627 million Br) and the balance is covered by the Ethiopian government. This project is an extension of the Gilgel Gibe I hydroelectric project finalised in February 2004, he added.
"Construction of 77Km of roads will be carried out in the project area," said Simegnew. "This will create job opportunities for 3,000 residents of the locality."
It will channel the water already impounded and used under Gilgel Gibe I, through a 26Km long tunnel, directly into the Gibe-Omo River, a booklet prepared on the project shows. The reservoir that will form along 2.5Km of the river will have a volume of 1.9 million cubic metres and will further regulate the river flow and guarantee enough water to produce buffer energy with Gilgel Gibe II even if the first plant were to close its gates.
Eugelino Loppis, Gilgel Gibe project manager, told Fortune that the maximum reservoir level is over 1,400m. This will make it the second largest project that Salini carried out in Ethiopia.
"Of the 26Km tunnel that is required, 15Km (57pc) has already been finalised," Eugelino disclosed.
A few major hydroelectric projects were completed in the past decade: Tis Abay II (80mw) and Finchaa IV (34mw). The largest to date, however, is Gilgel Gibe I, built by Salini and the Spanish NESCO near the town of Jimma, in the Oromia Regional State, that generates 184mw of electrical power at a cost of 2.2 billion Br.
It is to be supplemented with the follow-up project (Gilgel Gibe II) that added tunnels to generate 425mw. At a projected cost of 400 million Br, Gilgel Gibe II is currently under construction by Salini Costrottori SPA.
Salini is also undertaking another hydroelectric power project on the Belesa River, Amhara Regional State, at a cost of 5.4 billion Br, believed to have a projected generation capacity of 460mw upon completion.
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