The government of Ethiopia is planning to upgrade certain equipment at the Gilgel Gibe-II hydroelectric power plant. Voith Hydro East Africa, the subsidiary of the German company Voith Hydro, has been chosen by the Ethiopian authorities to undertake the major project.
The power plant is located 250 km southwest of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. It is located on the Omo River, but uses waters of Gilgel Gibe River. This is possible due to a tunnel connected to a feeder channel. The system extends over 26 km under Fofa Mountain.
The new turbines are capable of producing 420 MW. The other objective of the two-year contract will be to implement digital solutions that will allow maximum monitoring of the plant’s operation. With the operation of the Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) facility, the government wants to use full potential of the Gilgel Gibe II hydroelectric power plant.