The Gilgel Gibe III hydroelectric power project began power generation on October 10. The Dam, highest roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dam in Africa at 243 m, will have a total installed capacity of 1,870 MW.
This will increase Ethiopia’s power generation capacity by 234%, contributing to Ethiopia’s socio-economic development by feeding the country’s grid as well as facilitating more power to the country’s power-export program and assisting regional integration among neighboring countries through the interconnected power links.
About Gilgel Gibe III Dam
The Gilgel Gibe III Dam is an under construction 243-m-high roller-compacted concrete dam with an associated hydroelectric power plant on the Omo river in Ethiopia.
It is located about 92 km (57 mi) northwest of Arba Minch in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region. Once completed it would be the third largest hydroelectric plant in Africa with a power output of about 1870 Megawatt (MW).
The Gibe III dam would be part of the Gibe cascade, a series of dams including the existing Gibe I dam (184 MW) and Gibe II power station (420 MW) as well as the planned Gibe IV (1472 MW) and Gibe V (560 MW) dams. The existing dams are owned and operated by the state-owned Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation, which is also the client for the Gibe III Dam.
