ADDIS ABABA – Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed inaugurated the Genale Dawa III hydropower project yesterday.
Speaking on the occasion the Premier said: “The Genale Dawa III hydropower project is a proof of our saying that “We’ll never give up, but we cut ribbons finishing what we started,” he said. In addition to generating power, the project will be used for irrigation development, he added.
He also announced government’s plan to build Genale Dawa VI hydropower project, which according to him, will require not less than a billion dollars. The project attracted many foreign investors, but government’s interest is to build it in joint venture with local investors, he remarked.
In the future, Ethiopia will give due attention to its water resources as the world do, and will stretch efforts to construct dams, he added. He also congratulated all who have contributed to make the project a success.
Dr. Seleshi Bekele, Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy said the project will have its own contribution to increase the people’s access to electricity, which currently stand at 45 percent. Ethiopia’s current power production stands at 4,400MW and works are underway to generate additional 7,300MW from the Renaissance and Koysha dams, he said.
According to him, two turbines at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will start generating power next year. GERD is scheduled to be fully completed in 2023. “Ethiopia will keep on generating power from a range of sources water, wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, among others.”
The 254MW power project was built with 451 million USD on Dawa River, Southeast Ethiopia. Launched in 2010, 110 meter high and 426 meter long, the dam has the capacity to hold 2.5 billion cubic meters of water.
The Ethiopian Herald February 5/2020
BY MENGESTEAB TESHOME
Photo:- Gebabo Gebre
