Four 75-megawatts generators and four turbines beneath the dam will begin service soon, according to the coordinators. The dam has been gathering the waters of the Tekeze River and its tributaries in northern Ethiopian.
Asfaw Shirga, the senior engineer on the project, told VOA “Ninety-three percent of the structural part of the dam construction is now completed. We are just looking for plenty of rain.”
In addition to increase power supplies for the nation, the dam will improve small-scale irrigation opportunities for farming to the villages of Tigrai found in downstream of the river.
“The dam will face sedimentation problems, 30 million meter cubic soil, in a year and to minimize that problem, people in Amhara and Tigrai regions are cooperating in working the trace and re-forestation activities,” said Asfaw.
The dam is funded by the Ethiopian government. The contractor is China Water Gazuba Sur, a joint venture of Chinese and Ethiopian companies. The consultant is Harza Engineering joint venture Companies of the United States and Serbia.
Tekeze is one of the highest arch dams in Africa.
