Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Saturday inaugurated the 1870 Megawatt Gibe III hydropower plant, reiterating the country’s determination to be a green energy hub in the East African region.
He described the inauguration of the 1.5 billion Euros hydropower project as an indication that “moving from one success level to another is becoming a culture to Ethiopia.”
Addressing a gathering of about 2,000 guests who attended the function in Ethiopia’s Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region, Hailemariam Desalegn said that the power station will raise supply of renewable power in the country and enhance regional integration through power infrastructure.
The guests included senior government officials, ambassadors accredited to Ethiopia and representatives of the Salini Impregilo Group of Italy, which participated in the project implementation that took about 10 years.
The Gibe III dam, built on the Omo River after completion of Gibe I and Gibe II, comprises a Roller-Compacted Concrete dam and an open-air powerhouse with 10 Francis turbines that offer an overall installed power capacity of 1870 MW.
According to Azeb Asnake, CEO of Ethiopian Electric Power, Gibe III will almost double the current hydropower generation with significant impact in further development endeavours in the country.
The project employed a workforce representing more than 30 countries and it now represents an engineering reference point at a global level due to its technical characteristics and number of workers, officials said.
Photo credit: Awramba Times
