African hydro developments
A number of key projects are under development across Africa.
11 April 2017
Energy poverty is a way of life in Africa, with over half of the continents
populations lacking access to electricity and rapid population growth looks set to strain
the existing services even further. As a result, countries in the region are looking to exploit their
vast, untapped hydropower potential, making it a key market for hydropower and dam developers.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia’s energy policy is an important driver in the country’s development by exploiting its most
precious natural resource: water. About 85% of the energy produced comes
from hydroelectricity and its weight is destined to increase both inside and outside the country in the
coming years. Ethiopia is investing the equivalent of a third of its gross domestic product in
hydroelectricity, totaling €12 billion. This enormous commitment has the objective of generating
40,000MW of energy by 2035 by taking advantage of the big rivers that cross its territory.
The government’s 2010-2020 Growth and Transformation Plan, which is being executed
in two phases, aims to use the country’s natural resources to transform Ethiopia into a renewable
energy hub for the entire eastern region of Africa.
A number of major hydropower schemes are currently in the construction or development
stage in Ethiopia. Most notably is the Grand Ethipian Renaissance Dam, a project that has
recently seen its capacity increase to 6450MW, with generator upgrades.
Initially designed to generate 5250MW, with the power plant upgrades, the dam’s generation
capacity was raised to 6000MW in 2011. Six years later, the capacity was increased by an additional
450MW. The generation capacity now matches those of Tekeze, Beles and Gibe-II hydropower
plants combined.
The project is well on its way to being completed. It is located 700km from Addis Ababa
in the Benishangul-Gumaz region near the border with Sudan. As part of the project Salini Impregilo
is building what will become the biggest dam in Africa to rank among the top 10 in the world.
Located along the waters of the Blue Nile, the GERD consists of a hydroelectric plant with
a main dam built of roller-compacted concrete (RCC) with a power plant on either side of the
river. Once it is put into service, the GERD will increase the amount of electricity produced in the
country by 270% and bolster Ethiopia’s role as an energy exporter to neighboring countries. By
transmitting electricity to Sudan, Djibouti, South Sudan and Yemen, it will be able to generate $2
billion in revenue a year.
The actual construction of the dam is already having a big impact on the territory. About 8500
people work on the site, 8200 of which come from
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