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About Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

Published on: Fri, 2014-02-07 10:40
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam image

PROJECT LOCATION

The project site lies at Guba in Beneshangul- Gumuz Regional Administrative State some 750km on road, north ¨C west of Addis Ababa through Debre Markos and turn to left at Kosober to Chagni ¨C Guba. There is also an alternative 850km road west of Addis Ababa, through Nekempt ¨C Assosa ¨C Gizen ¨C Guba.

About the Project

The project has envisaged a power plant with an installed capacity of 6,000 MW and 15,692 GWh annual energy. The major components of the project:

  • Main Dam of length 1,780m and 145m height, two power houses which embraces sixteen francis turbines coupled to synchronous generators of each capable of generating 375MW at the left and right of the Main Dam.
  • Saddle Dam of length 4,800m and height 45m.
  • Two outdoor power houses with 3,750 and 2,250 MW installed capacity containing 10 and 6 generating units respectively each with a capacity of 375WM and
  • 500kV switchyard to transmit power from the two power houses to the grid.

Both Main Dam and Saddle Dam will create 74 billion m3 impounding capacity reservoirs with a surface area of 1,680 sq.km at Full Supply Level (FSL).

 

Gated spillway equipped with 6 radial gates, having a capacity to discharge 6 x 2450 m3 sec (14,700 m3/sec) at probable maximum flood occurrence is located on the left side of the main dam.

A saddle dam on the left side of the RCC dam with an emergency side spillway is envisaged to allow flood discharged directly into the Roseires reservoir. The Saddle Dam will be a rock fill dam with 24 upstream bituminous facing and it¡¯s approximate length is 5 km and height 45m. Construction of 123km access roads, camps, workshops, and other civil works are part of the foreseen activities comprising GERDP.

Beneficial/Positive Impacts

Essential Positive impacts of the project implementation:

Power Generation:

6,000MW hydro power and 15,692 GWh average energy adds to the national ¨C grid.

Fishery Development:

The dam creates a reservoir area of 1,680km2 and 15m depth which provides a new opportunity for fishery.

Aquatic and Terrestrial Fauna Resources:

An establishment of a reservoir will be a very comfortable place for a considerable number of water birds. Resident as well as migrant birds will have a good opportunity of using the site and its vicinity.

Power Trading:

The project will increase the generation capacity of the country and strengthen the power export programme.

Avoidance of Co2 Emission:

Hydroelectric offsets thermal or other types of generation. It is a source of renewable energy that shows emission factors between one and two orders of magnitude lower than the thermal alternatives.

Job Opportunity:

The total workforce on construction work is estimated to reach 15,000. It contributes its due share for regular wage employment in and around the project site.

Gender Issues:

Women will equally benefit from employment opportunities of the project.

Increased Business Opportunities:

Shops, cafes, or small restaurants, tea shops are expected to be established in the vicinity as a result of the project.

Access Road:

Construction of access roads to the project site will be undertaken. These roads would serve the community thereby a trade link could be improved.

Impact on Water Resources /Down Stream Impacts:

The Blue Nile is a cross ¨C border international river, flowing from Ethiopia to Sudan and Egypt. The average annual flow at the Sudan border is 50.6 billionm3 per annum. The reservoir is believed to regulate the downstream Blue Nile flow so that Sudan and Egypt would have the opportunity to directly benefit from the highly regulated outflows. The regulation plays a considerable role for reduction of flooding to both countries along the Blue Nile whereas low flows will increase regularly with benefits to hydro power plants and downstream irrigation. It will also serve to trap sediment which would otherwise be carried downstream Roseires.

Source: eepco.gov.et



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