Salini Impregilo to build $2.8bn Ethiopian dam

Salini Impregilo to build $2.8bn Ethiopian dam

Source: GCR

Italian construction giant Salini Impregilo has won a contract to build a hydroelectric plant in Ethiopia’s southern Koysha area.

The $2.8bn megaproject was commissioned by Ethiopian Electric Power and will have an installed capacity of 2.2GW.

The project includes a 170m high rolled compacted concrete dam with a reservoir volume of 6,000 million cubic metres.

The hydroelectric plant will produce 6,460GWh a year.

Salini Impregilo said in a statement: “Ethiopia has been rapidly growing for many years now, and will soon become the driving force of the African continent.

“As of today, Ethiopia exports energy to Kenya, Sudan and Djibouti, its closest countries. The authorities do not exclude reaching markets like Europe and the Middle East in view of the potential of the hydroelectric plants being built.”

Ethiopia’s Gilgel Gibe III Dam went into operation recently and the country’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is due to be completed soon.

A Salini Impregilo joint venture recently won a role on a $1.4bn Australian rail link.