Alstom bags €250m Ethiopia hydro

Alstom has bagged a €250m contract to develop the 6000MW hydro power plant at Grand Renaissance dam on Ethiopia’s Blue Nile. The deal with Metals & Engineering Corporation will see the French outfit supply and supervise the installation of eight 375MW turbines and eight

generators for the first phase. The contract also includes engineering and commissioning of the power plant, which will be operated by EEPCO. Commissioning will start late this year and be phased over three years. When completed, Grand Renaissance will be the largest hydro project in Africa, with its output quadrupling Ethiopia’s current electricity production capacity. The potential hydro production of Ethiopia has been estimated at 35,000MW and the nation aims to become a key regional player in power generation. Alstom Renewable Power president Jérome Pécresse said: “This contract strengthens Alstom’s position in the African hydropower market. In Ethiopia, Alstom is already supplying wind turbines for the Ashegoda project and is willing to play a major role in developing Ethiopia’s energy sector.” Alstom has been active in Africa for 80 years and has hydroelectric projects in Mozambique, Angola, Ghana, South Africa, Sudan and Uganda. The company is currently carrying out contracts for the supply of turbines and generators at the new 120MW Ithezi-Thezi hydro plant in Zambia and the retrofit of the 712MW Inga 2A hydro plant in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Image: Rendering of the under-construction Grand Renaissance dam (Salini Construttori