Gibe III hydroelectric power project

Services: ASSISTANCE TO DECISION PROCESS / Power System Development & Economics / Pre-feasibility Studies / EXECUTION / Engineering Procurement Construction Contracting / Owner's or Lender's Engineer / FEASIBILITY / Conceptual & Basic design (FEED) / Feasibility Studies & Basic Design / Risk Management & Safety Consulting / Sustainable Development.

EEPCO is a company responsible for generating, transmitting, distributing and selling electricity nationwide in Ethiopia. EEPCO assigned Tractebel Engineering and ELC to review the design, to assist for EPC tendering and to be the Owner’s Engineer for construction of the 1,870 MW Gibe III Hydroelectric Project.

After completion, Gibe III will be the largest hydroelectric plant in Africa, more than doubling Ethiopia’s total installed capacity.

The dam is located 470 km to the south of Addis Abeba. It is part of the Gibe cascade (the Gibe I and Gibe II dams are already in place) and the biggest engineering structure in the history of Ethiopia. Besides power generation, it will enable flood regulation and artificially maintained flood, thanks to the large reservoir capacity (14 km³).

The project layout consists mainly of Roller-Compacted Concrete dam (height: 240m, embankment volume: 24Mm³, max. peak discharge: 14,850 m³/s) with a surface powerhouse housing 10 Francis turbine units with a total installed capacity of 1,870 MW.

Left abutment works include:

a power intake structure  twin power conduits consisting of horizontal tunnels and vertical shafts vertical, open-air, surge shafts the powerhouse  Works on the right abutment include three diversion tunnels, one of which will be converted for use as a low-level outlet as well as an open channel, partially gated, concrete-lined spillway structure.

Our services include:

Phase 1: Review of the Feasibility study and the Basic design.

Preparation of EPC contract documents.

Assistance to EEPCO for negotiation of the EPC contract.

Independent update on the estimated costs.

Phase 2: Owner’s Engineer services for project management.

Follow-up of the planning.

Supervision of the design and construction.

Development and implementation of the Environmental Management Plan.

Assistance during commissioning and during the defect liability period.

Tractebel Engineering guarantees excellent project management and the implementation of a high-quality environmental plan.