Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Tuesday inaugurated a 254MW hydro-power plant built at $451 million on Dawa River, Southeast of the country.
Launched ten years ago, the Genale Dawa III hydropower project has a110 meter high and 426 meter long dam with the capacity to hold 2.5 billion cubic meters of water.
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,” Prime Minister Abiy said.
In addition to generating power, the project will be used for irrigation development, the Prime Minister added.
Abiy also announced government’s plan to build Genale Dawa VI hydro-power project, which according to him will require not less than $1billion dollars.
The project attracted many foreign investors, but the government’s interest is to build it in joint venture with local investors, the Prime Minister indicated.
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%.
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.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated later in the afternoon an irrigation project built at a cost of $1.4 million in west Bale zone, Oromia regional state.
The project can allow 1,123 farmers to develop 400 hectares of land.
The project was undertaken by China Gezhouba Group Company Limited (CGGC).
MG/abj/APA