Gilgel Gibe III Dam

De Gilgel Gibe III Dam be a 250 m high roller-compacted concrete dam plus an associated hydroelectric power plant for de Omo River for Ethiopia insyd. Dem locate am about 62 km (39 mi) west of Sodo for de South Ethiopia Regional State insyd. At de time of ein full commissioning de dam be de third largest hydroelectric plant for Africa insyd plus a power output of about 1,870 Megawatt (MW), thus more dan doubling Ethiopia ein total installed capacity from ein 2007 level of 814 MW. De Gibe III dam be part of de Gibe cascade, a series of dams wey dey include de existing Gibe I dam (184 MW) den Gibe II power station (420 MW) as well as de planned Gibe IV (1,472 MW) den Gibe V (560 MW) dams. De state-owned Ethiopian Electric Power own den operate existing dams, wey sanso be de client give de Gibe III Dam. De US$1.8 billion project begin for 2006 insyd, electricity generation start for October 2015 insyd. De remaining generators dey operational by 2016. De project already experience serious delays; for May 2012 insyd, dem already schedule full commissioning give June 2013. Dem inaugurate de dam by Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn for 17 December 2016 top. Local den international environmental groups dey forecast major negative environmental den social impacts of de dam den criticize de project ein environmental den social impact assessment as insufficient. Sekof dis den accusations dat de entire approval process give de project be suspect, wey funding give de full construction cost no dey secure, as de African Development Bank delay a decision about a loan pending a review of de dam ein environmental impact by ein compliance review den mediation unit. Dis dey date back to August 2009 wen dem accept a call from NGOs give such a review. For August 2010 insyd Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi vow to complete de dam "at any cost", wey e say de dam ein critics "no dey want to see Africa developed; dem want we to remain undeveloped den backward to serve demma tourists as a museum." Design De Gilgel Gibe III Dam be 610 m-long (2,000 ft) den 243 m (797 ft) high roller-compacted concrete dam. E dey withhold a reservoir capacity of 14.7 km3 (3.5 mi3) den a surface area of 210 km2 (81 mi2), wey dem collect from a catchment area of 34,150 km2 (13,190 mi2). De reservoir ein live (active anaa "useful") storage be 11.75 km3 (2.82 mi3) den dead storage of 2.95 km3 (0.71 mi3). De normal operating level of de reservoir be 892 m (2,927 ft) above sea level plus a maximum of 893 m (2,930 ft) den a minimum of 800 m (2,600 ft). De dam ein spillway be 108 m (354 ft) long den floodgate-controlled plus a maximum discharge capacity of 18,000 m3/s (640,000 cu ft/s). Dem fi discharge water above 873 m (2,864 ft) above sea level thru ein gates. Feeding de dam ein power house be two penstocks dat each branch into five separate tunnels give each individual turbine. De power house dey contain ten 187 MW generators wey Francis turbines support am give a total installed capacity of 1,870 MW. De initial design of de dam foresee a rock-fill dam. Howeva, sekof difficulties plus obtaining proper den sufficient insurance coverage give de rock-fill dam, dem change de design to roller-compacted concrete. Benefits De main benefit of de dam be electricity generation dat be both renewable den dispatchable. Dem forecast am to supply about half of ein power to Ethiopia den export de oda half to Kenya (500 MW), Sudan (200 MW) den Djibouti (200 MW). Howeva, der dey long delays for making Power Purchase Agreements insyd. Only Kenya sign a Memorandum of Understanding to purchase electricity from de dam. De World Bank approve financing give a transmission line to Kenya for July 2012 insyd. Access to de electricity grid for Ethiopia insyd rydee dey very low. Less dan 2% of Ethiopia ein rural population, wey dey account give 85% of de total population, get access to de grid. Plus de support of de World Bank de government dey carry out an ambitious project to expand rural electricity access. For 2003 insyd, low generation capacity wey dem combine plus a severe drought cause power cuts wey dey last 15 hours twice a week give a period of six months, wey e cost an estimated $200 million for economic output insyd. For 2008 den 2009 insyd, Ethiopia again experience power cuts den brownouts. According to de International Rivers Network drought cause de power cuts, sekof almost all electricity generation for Ethiopia insyd be hydroelectric. According to de same source, despite an increase for access to de electric grid insyd, electricity consumption dey likely to remain low give de foreseeable future sekof de prevailing level of poverty. Even without de Gibe III hydro plant, according to one source, Ethiopia already get a surplus installed capacity of 400 megawatts. Under Ethiopia ein current development plans dem say de country go dey more dan 95% dependent for hydroelectric power top. Ethiopia predict say electricity exports go generate around $407 million revenue per year, wey dey exceed de value of de country ein next most valuable export, coffee. A secondary benefit of de project be flood protection. For 2006 insyd, a flood claim de lives of at least 360 pippoe den thousands of livestock for de lower Omo River basin insyd. A further benefit be de reduction for de impact of droughts insyd, wey dey include thru large state-owned irrigated sugar plantations. Controversy De project be controversial sekof ein environmental den social impact, de magnitude of wey for einself insyd be a subject of controversy; sekof de award of de construction contract without competitive bidding; den sekof an alleged lack of transparency for project affairs insyd. For example, dem no publish de environmental den social impact assessment until two years after construction begin. De assessment suggest dat de project go cause minimal problems environmentally den socially. Howeva, critics dey consider am to be flawed both for terms of thoroughness den objectivity insyd. Among dem critics be de African Resources Working Group wey release statements wey dey say dat "De quantitative [den qualitative] data wey dem include for virtually all major sections of de report insyd, dem clearly select am give demma consistence plus de predetermined objective of validating de completion of de Gibe III hydro-dam" den dat despite claims wey de government make to de contrary, de dam go "produce a broad range of negative effects, sam of wey go dey catastrophic." Anoda prominent critic of de dam be de Kenyan paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey wey say dat "de project be fatally flawed for terms of ein logic insyd, for terms of ein thoroughness insyd, for terms of ein conclusions insyd". For June 2011 insyd UNESCO ein World Heritage Committee, for ein 35th session insyd wey dem hold for Paris, France insyd, dem bell give de construction of de dam to be halted, to submit all assessments of de dam den dem request Ethiopia den Kenya to invite a World Heritage Centre/IUCN monitoring mission to review de dam ein impact for Lake Turkana top, a World Heritage Site. Environmental den social impact According to de Ethiopian authorities, once dem already build de dam de total amount of water wey dey flow into de lake no go change. De only difference go be a more stable flow ova de year - more during de dry season, den less during de wet. Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi say for a BBC interview insyd: "De ovaall environmental impact of de project dey highly beneficial. E dey increase de amount of water for de river system insyd, e completely dey regulate flooding, wey be a major problem, e dey improve de livelihood of pippoe downstream sekof dem go get irrigation projects, den e no dey for any way insyd negatively affect de Turkana Lake. Dis be wat our studies dey show." According to critics, de dam go dey potentially devastating to de indigenous population. De dam go stop de seasonal flood, wey go impact de lower reach of de Omo River den Lake Turkana as well as de pippoe wey dey rely for dem ecosystems top give demma livelihoods. According to Terri Hathaway, director of International Rivers' Africa programme, Gibe III be "de most destructive dam under construction for Africa insyd." De project go condemn "half a million of de region ein most vulnerable pippoe to hunger den conflict." Impact for de livelihoods of de inhabitants of de lower Omo River Valley top Dem estimate am dat more dan 200,000 pippoe dey rely for de Omo River top below de dam give sam form of subsistence such as flood recession agriculture, den many of dem ethnic groups dey live for chronic hunger insyd. Critics dey state dat de Gibe III dam go fi worsen demma situation. Indigenous pippoe dey rely for recessional cultivation of food top along de riverbanks, as well as livestock herding, give survival. De Gibe III dam den de associated decrease for water levels insyd den seasonality of flows for de Omo River insyd dey threaten de continuation of de only two options give survival for dis arid environment insyd—der dey are no alternatives. De pippoe wey dey live for de project area insyd be part of de Southern Nations of Ethiopia, a highly diverse group of pippoe. Ethnic groups wey de dam affect am dey include eight distinct indigenous communities: de Mursi, Bodi (Mekan), Muguji (Kwegu), Kara (Karo), Hamer, Bashada, Nyangatom den Daasanach. Stephen Corry, Director of de indigenous rights organization Survival International say, "De Gibe III dam go be a disaster of cataclysmic proportions give de tribes of de Omo valley. Dem go destroy demma land den livelihoods, yet few get any idea what dey lie ahead. De government violate Ethiopia ein constitution den international law for de procurement process insyd. No respectable outside body supose dey fund dis atrocious project." Oda sources dey note dat, wen interviewed, pippoe for many villages insyd never even hear of de Gibe III dam, den many of dem no even know wat a dam be. Dis be an indication of de failure of consultations den informed consent give de indigenous populations. Survival, togeda plus de Campaign give de Reform of de World Bank, Counter Balance coalition, Friends of Lake Turkana den International Rivers launch a petition to stop de dam. Dam proponents dey argue dat dem plan artificial floods to be released from de reservoir. Furthermore, dem envisage irrigation projects to improve de livelihoods of de downstream population. As e becam known to a wider public for November 2011 insyd thru a report by de Oakland Institute, der dey indeed massive plans give cotton den sugarcane plantations for 445,000 ha top for de lower Omo Valley top. Dem go fi finance de sugarcane plantations plus aid from India, wey dem heavily engage am for developing Ethiopian sugar production insyd. De investors for de plantations insyd be mostly Ethiopian state-owned companies. Reports about human rights violations Der sanso be reports about human rights violations by de Ethiopian army against locals wey dey oppose de sugar plantations for de lower Omo Valley insyd dat dem go irrigate am plus water from de dam ein reservoir. According to de reports, "dem expect villagers to voice immediate support, odawise beatings (wey dey include de use of tasers), abuse, den general intimidation dey occurs", (...) "wey e instill a sense of fear wey dey regard any opposition to sugar plantation plans." Impact for de ecosystems of de lower Omo River Valley top De decreased water flow of de Omo River wey dey result from de Gibe III dam go get significant impacts for de ecosystems top wey dey surround de river. De Omo River Basin be home to de only pristine riparian forest wey dey remain for de drylands of sub-Saharan Africa insyd. De survival of dis forest be dependent upon de seasonal flooding of de Omo River, wey go cease plus construction of de dam. Dis go fi cause 290 km2 of forest to "dry out" from lack of water. De decreased water flow go sanso negatively impact, if dem no eliminate am, wey dem associate all economic activities plus de Omo River such as farming, fishing, den tourism. De water level of de Omo River be crucial give recharging groundwater supplies for de Omo basin insyd. If de water level of de river dey drop once dem build de Gibe III dam, then e go dey no longer be able to refill underground water supplies, wey e lef much of de basin bereft of groundwater, wey negatively dey impact pippoe den ecosystems. As de water level of de Omo River dey drop, de erosion of ein riverbanks go increase, wey e cause increased sediment flows for de river insyd, loss of soil give crop cultivation along de riverbanks, den loss of riparian habitats. A December 2012 study state Ethiopia ein Gibe III dam go cause humanitarian catastrophe den major cross-border armed conflict. Construction of one of de world ein tallest dams for de Omo River top for southern Ethiopia insyd go lead to mass starvation among a half million indigenous pippoe for an already famine-prone region insyd, wey e spark major armed conflict for de three-nation border region insyd ova ein disappearing natural resources, according to a new report from de African Resources Working Group (ARWG). "Humanitarian Catastrophe den Regional Armed Conflict Brewing for de Transborder Region of Ethiopia, Kenya, den South Sudan insyd: De Proposed Gibe III Dam for Ethiopia insyd wey dem propose" dey analyze de full scale of impacts of de dam den dey charge dat de Ethiopian government anaa international development banks wey dem involve am for de project insyd already carry out no environmental anaa social review of de full cross-border impact area, wey dey include de World Bank. Dem author am by a member of de ARWG den long-term researcher for de region insyd, Claudia J. Carr, an associate professor at de University of California, Berkeley. Dem base de 250-page report for substantial field-based research top wey dey involve de participation of local residents thruout much of de cross-border region. De Gibe III dam already dey under construction by Ethiopia along ein Omo River, plus general recognition dat e go cause a major decrease for river flow downstream insyd den a serious reduction of inflow to Kenya ein Lake Turkana, wey dey receive 90 per cent of ein waters from de river. According to de ARWG report, dem changes go destroy de survival means of at least 200,000 pastoralists, flood-dependent agriculturalists den fishers along de Omo River 300,000 pastoralists den fishers around de shores of Lake Turkana - wey e plunge de region ein ethnic groups into cross-border violent conflict wey dey reach well into South Sudan, as starvation dey confront all of dem. De report dey offer a devastating look a deeply flawed development process wey de special interests of global finance den African governments fuel am. For de process insyd, e dey identify major ovalooked anaa odawise minimized risks, no de least of wey be a U.S. Geological Survey estimation of a high risk give a magnitude 7 anaa 8 earthquake for de Gibe III dam region insyd. Professor Carr for ein new book insyd dey further examine how development processes wey international finance drive am, African governments den de global consulting industry fi lead to such disastrous outcams give de vast nomba of pippoe wey such development affect am. Impact for Lake Turkana top De magnitude of de impact dat de dam den possible irrigation projects induced by de dam go get for de water level of Lake Turkana top be controversial. A hydrological study wey dem conduct am give de African Development Bank for November 2010 insyd conclude dat de filling of de dam go reduce de lake ein water level by two metres, if dem go undertake no irrigation. Irrigation go cause a further drop for de lake level insyd. Friends of Lake Turkana, a Kenyan organization wey dey represent indigenous groups for northwestern Kenya insyd wey dem link dem livelihoods to Lake Turkana, dem already previously estimate dat de dam fi reduce de level of Lake Turkana by up to 10 meter wey dey affect up to 300,000 pippoe. Dis fi cause de brackish water to increase for salinity insyd to where e go fi dey no longer be drinkable by de indigenous groups wey dey around de lake. Currently, de salinity of de water dey about 2332 mg/L, den dem estimate am dat a 10-meter decrease for de water level of Lake Turkana insyd fi cause de salinity to rise to 3.397 g/L. Raising salinity fi sanso drastically reduce de nomba of fish for de lake insyd, wey de pippoe wey dey around Lake Turkana dey depend for top give sustenance den demma livelihoods. According to critics, dis "go condemn de lake to a not-so-slow death." According to dam proponents, de impact for Lake Turkana top go dey limited to de temporary reduction for flows insyd during de filling of de reservoir. Various sources state dat de filling fi take between one den three wet seasons. De total storage volume of de reservoir of Gibe III dam go dey between 11.75 den 14 billion cubic metres, wey dey depend for sources top. According to de company dat dey build de dam, dis go reduce de water level for de lake insyd by "less dan 50 cm per year give three years" den dat salinity "no go change for any way insyd". According to de International Lake Environment Committee, de Omo River deliver 90% of Lake Turkana ein water for wey dem go build de Dam. Plus no outlet, Lake Turkana dey lose 2.3 meters of water every year to evaporation, den ein level dey sensitive to climatic den seasonal fluctuations. For purposes of comparison, de historic level of Lake Turkana decline from a high of 20 m above today ein level for de 1890s insyd to de same level as today for de 1940s den 1950s insyd. E then increase again gradually by 7 metres to reach a peak around 1980, den subsequently decrease again. De Environmental den Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) summary of de project no assess de impact of de dam for de water level den water quality of Lake Turkana top. De director of Kenya ein Water Services Regulatory Board, John Nyaoro, argue say de dam go get no negative impact for Lake Turkana top. Oda impacts Dem predict am dat der dey about a 50-75% leakage of waters from de reservoir sekof multiple fractures for de basalt insyd at de planned reservoir site. Sekof de loss of water for reservoir insyd, de dam no go dey able to produce as much electricity den less hydro power go dey available to export to oda nearby countries. Sanso, de dam den reservoir dey vulnerable to seismic activity sekof earthquakes den massive landslides for de Gibe III project region insyd. Earthquakes fi cause even larger fractures to de dam den dey susceptible to more water leakage as well as decreasing de economic inputs. Moreova, de landslides go fill up de reservoir den dem fi store less water. Dis sanso go mean say dem go produce less hydro power. Environmental den social impact assessment Controversy sanso arise sekof de environmental den social impact assessment den dem no do preceding environmental impact study (EIS) until two years after dem dey begin construction for de dam top. De Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority dey require dat dem for do an environmental impact assessment give any project "likely to entail significant adverse environmental impacts" den dat "dem suppose submit de EIS before commencing any construction anaa any oda implementation of de project." Official environmental den social impact assessment Dem already carry out an Environmental den Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) by Centro Elettrotecnico Sperimentale Italiano (CESI) den Agriconsulting of Italy, for association insyd plus MDI Consulting Engineers from Ethiopia. According to Anthony Mitchell, an engineer wey submit an independent feasibility study of de dam to de African Development Bank, CESI ein owners dey include vendors wey fi benefit from de project den dem no disclose dis conflict of interest for de impact statement insyd. As part of de assessment, according to de Project Company, dem carry out public consultations plus "officials den institutions, pippoe wey de project affect am den non-governmental organizations". According to critics, dem already minimal dem consultations. Most importantly, dem only complete de assessment for July 2008 insyd, nearly two years after dem begin construction, for violation of Ethiopian law insyd den for contrast insyd to global good practice of environmental assessments. Sanso, dem already establish an independent environmental advisory panel only as late as July 2009, apparently for a belated effort insyd to appease criticism of de project. Alternative environmental impact statement De Africa Resources Working Group (ARWG), a collaborative of eight consultants from around de world, conduct an independent environmental impact statement of demma own give de Gibe III dam. Dem perform de alternative impact statement sekof de alleged corruption den inaccuracy of de official impact assessment. De ARWG dey criticize many of de statements wey dem make for de official Gibe III ESIA insyd. Regarding de flow of water into Lake Turkana, dem dey state dat de Gibe III dam go result for a 57-60% decrease of river flow volume insyd. De ARWG sanso dey note dat e no be necessarily de volume of water dat be important to de Omo River den Turkana ecosystems, but dat de seasonality den timing of de water flow dey crucial, sekof dem adapt certain biota to feeding, reproducing, growing, etc. for response insyd to seasonal changes for water flow insyd. Artificially releasing water from de Gibe III dam into de Omo River no go dey sufficient to meet de needs of dem biota. Additionally, de ARWG dey state dat der dey "no precedent of successful den sustained implementation" of an artificial flood simulation program for sub-Saharan Africa, so dem no guarantee am dat dem go maintain such a program at de Gibe III dam. Award of construction contract Dem award de contract give de construction of de dam for 2006 insyd to Salini Costruttori of Italy. Dem award de engineering design to Studio Pietrangeli den supervision of ELC-COB (ELC Electroconsult, Italy - Coyne et Bellier, France) as representative of de Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation. Dem award de contract to Salini Construttori after direct negotiation rada dan allowing bidding for de contract top from oda qualified companies. Public international financial institutions dey require competitive bidding of construction contracts, wey e make am difficult give de Ethiopian government to get a loan from dem. General manager of de Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation, Mihert Debeba, defend de bypassing of de standard process, as skipping a set of "luxurious preconditions" dat Ethiopia no fi meet, one wey go completely halt any development of hydroelectric power. For 2010 insyd, dem sign a construction contract plus a Chinese hydropower company Dongfang Electric Machinery Corporation, a Chinese state-owned company, wey complete de work. Cost den financing Dem estimate de financial costs of de dam den hydroelectric power plant to be 1.55 billion Euro. Dem estimate de cost of a transmission line from de power plant to de nearby Wolayta Sodo Substation at 35 million Euro. Dem costs no dey include de costs of constructing anaa upgrading power transmission lines to Addis Abeba den onwards to Djibouti to de Northeast of de dam, to Sudan for de West insyd den to Kenya for de South insyd, dem all locate am at a distance between 500 den 1000 km from de dam. De cost estimate no dey include de costs of extending de electricity distribution network to effectively increase access to electricity. As of 2009, electricity access for de prospective beneficiary countries insyd still dey low at 16% for Kenya insyd den 36% for Sudan insyd. According to de official website of Gibe III, dem finance most of de construction cost of de dam einself by de Ethiopian government plus ein own funds. Howeva, dem finance part of de project thru a corporate bond wey dem bell am "Millennium Bond" wey de Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO) issue am den dem market am plus de Ethiopian diaspora. De Ethiopian government sanso request financing of US$250 million from de Italian government give civil works. For 2008 insyd, JPMorgan Chase den de Italian export credit agency SACE refuse to provide financing. For May 2010 insyd EEPCo den Dongfang Electric Machinery Corporation, a Chinese state-owned company, sign a memorandum of understanding to provide electrical den mechanical equipment give de project. Dem back de agreement by a loan from de Industrial den Commercial Bank of China reportedly dey cover 85% of de US$495 million cost. International environmental groups criticize de loan as "hypocritical" den a violation of ICBC ein commitment to China ein Green Credit Policy. Previously dem already dey consider de European Investment Bank (EIB) financing of de dam ein electrical dem mechanical equipment plus a loan of US$341 million. E finance economic, financial den technical studies give de dam. For July 2010 insyd de EIB stop financing environmental den social studies give de dam, wey e state say dem already find "alternative financing". De African Development Bank sanso already dey consider a US$250 million loan give de electro-mechanical equipment of de plant. De World Bank sanso already consider funding de project. For 2008 insyd de World Bank no decide to pursue a full feasibility study give de dam, sekof de absence of competitive bidding give de prime contractor. De Exim Bank of China finance de transmission line to de Addis Ababa. Dem award de contract to de Chinese Company Tebian Electric Apparatus Stock Co., Ltd. (TBEA) for July 24, 2009 top. For July 2012 insyd de World Bank approve a US$684 million loan give an Eastern Electricity Highway Project dat go finance a 500 Kilovolt High Voltage Direct Current transmission line between de Wolayta/Sodo substation for Ethiopia insyd den de Suswa substation for Kenya insyd. Environmental groups already criticize de loan as funding give de Gilgel Gibe III Dam thru de backdoor. Gilgel Gibe IV dam A $1.9 billion deal between China ein Sino Hydro Corporation den de Ethiopian Electric Power Authority to construct de Gibe IV den De Shanghai Daily report Halele Werabesa hydroelectric dams for 15 July 2009 top. Both dams dey "expected to be completed for five years insyd", den go get a combined capacity of ova 2,000 megawatts. References External links The "white oil" of Ethiopia Africa Resources Working Group Commentary on Gibe III Dam The dam that divides Ethiopians March 2009 BBC News report