September should bless Ethiopia with a boost in power when the 1,870-MW Gibe III is commissioned. While the country will not see the whole 1,870 MW next month, the hydroelectric plant on the 246 meter-high Gibe III dam is currently 98.5% complete, and according to the government will start production of at least 500 MW next month.
The dam has 10 turbines, each with 187-MW generating capacity. Three turbines are ready to start and a fourth will soon be ready to go according to the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy.
The dam has seen its hiccups, missing several deadlines for starting generation, mostly due to funding constraints. A $460-million loan from the Chinese enabled the project to press forward, however the Chinese loan came with some strings; some of the construction contract was taken away from the Italian firm Salini Impreglio3 and given to the Chinese Firm Dongfang Electric Corporation (DEC).