Ethiopia to build hydropower project on River Nile
1 April 2011
Plans are afoot in Ethiopia to install a hydropower project by the River Nile.
The cost of the programme is believed to be around $4.7 billion (£2.9 billion) and it marks the first time the country has invested so heavily in the sector, APA reports.
Ethiopian Minister of Energy Alemayehu Tegenu told journalists that the government is financing the scheme, while Egypt and Sudan are also likely to glean benefits from the development.
Dubbed the Millennium Dam, it is expected to take 44 months to complete and the initial phase of the project will generate 700 MW.
Officials from the country have revealed it will be located between 20 and 40 km from the Sudanese border, while it will have the capacity to produce 5,250 MW once finished.
The news comes after Pumps and Systems recently reported a 6,000 MW hydropower plant called Project X is in the pipeline to enhance energy infrastructure in the country.