Salini Impregilo wins US$ 2.8 bn hydro project in Ethiopia

Italy-based construction firm Salini Impregilo has won the contract to build a new hydroelectric plant in the Koysha area of Ethiopia.

The US$ 2.8 billion project, awarded to Salini by Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), includes the construction of a 170-metre high rolled compacted concrete dam.

Once completed, the dam will be the largest in Ethiopia, with its reservoir volume totalling 6 billion m³, while the hydroelectric plant will produce 6,460 GWh of energy per annum.

A statement from Salini Impregilo said that, together with two former projects – GIBE III and GERD (the Grand Renaissance Dam) on the Blue Nile – the Koysha plant will enable Ethiopia to become Africa’s leading nation in terms of energy production.

While Ethiopia currently exports energy to near neighbours Kenya, Sudan and Djibouti, the authorities are considering the possibility of reaching markets in the Middle East and Europe, when all of its plants are operational.