\nOn the south-western plateaux of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia at the Gilgel Gibe II construction site, the reservoir formed by the concrete weir has been impounded. It is built with a view to regulating the volume of available water for the second plant. Flooding of the 26-km long tunnel carrying the water to the power station then took place, allowing the testing of the first turbine and synchronisation with the grid, scheduled for October 20th, 2009. \n<\/p>\n
\nThe remaining three turbines will then become operational, in turn, one a month. \n<\/p>\n
\n“Gilgel Gibe II” is an important hydroelectric project, with installed power of 420 MW, capable of generating on average 1,625 GWh a year. Salini Costruttori is General Contractor for the project. \n<\/p>\n
\nThe new plant is a “cascade” continuation of the Gilgel Gibe I dam project. \n<\/p>\n
\nGilgel Gibe II reuses the water from Gilgel Gibe I plant, channelling it, through a tunnel 26 km long, to the powerhouse located in the Omo river valley. By exploiting a geodetical head of 500 metres the potential energy is transformed into electricity. \n<\/p>\n
\nThe plant, financed by the Ethiopian Government, the Italian Government and the European Investment Bank (EIB), is an unprecedented opportunity for Ethiopian growth and development, and is a concrete response to the ever-rising demand for electrical power in the country. \n<\/p>\n<\/p>","image":"gibe2.jpg"}