Ethiopia: Gibe III inaugurated

Ethiopia on 16 December formally inaugurated the 1,870MW Gibe III hydro-electric plant on the Oromo River. The 234-metre dam, Africa’s tallest, was built by Italy’s Salini Impregilo, which signed a contract for the project in 2006, but construction was delayed by problems securing funding, until Industrial and Commercial Bank of China stepped in to provide 60% of the €1.5bn ($1.56bn) cost, while the balance was covered by the Ethiopian government. Electrical and electromechanical equipment was provided by Dongfang Electric Corporation. The first turbines started generation in October 2015.