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Ethiopia considers itself the powerhouse of Africa due to its high hydropower potential. Only a fraction of this potential has been harnessed so far. In 2009 less than 10% of Ethiopians had access to electricity and the country was plagued by power outages. In order to overcome this situation, the government has embarked on an ambitious dam building program. Three hydropower plants with a combined capacity of 1.18 GW were commissioned in 2009 and 2010 alone, more than doubling the previous installed capacity of the country. The largest hydroelectric plant in Ethiopia, Beles, began initial operation in May 2010. Contracts for five more large dams have been signed. Once completed, which is expected to be around 2015, these dams would increase the installed capacity by more than 11 GW from less than 1 GW in 2008. The construction of more large dams is foreseen in a Master Plan that aims to bring capacity to 15 GW. Power demand in Ethiopia is constrained by poverty, and the country thus plans to export power to Sudan, Kenya, Djibouti and even Yemen or Egypt. The benefits of the dams are not only limited to hydropower. Many dams are multi-purpose dams that are also designed to provide water for irrigation and flood control. However, hydropower is expected to be the main benefit of the dams. The construction of large dams entails many tangible and intangible costs. The financial cost itself is already substantial. Resettlement adds to the social costs of the dams. Sedimentation from unchecked erosion in the upper watershed of rivers reduces the lifespan of reservoirs. Environmental costs are imposed on communities living downstream of the dams in Ethiopia. And neighboring countries, in particularly Egypt, see their historical water rights affected and threaten to take action against the dams. The almost exclusive reliance on hydropower makes electricity generation vulnerable to droughts, which may be exacerbated by climate change. Earthquakes can also endanger the dams and associated tunnels. There were a total of 16 recorded earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 and higher in Ethiopia's seismic active areas in the 20th century.〔(Earthquake Risks in Addis Ababa and other Major Ethiopian Cities - Will the Country be Caught Off-guarded? ), by Samuel Kinde, PhD, March 2002〕 Last but not least, the dams are built in an environment of poor governance: Most contracts have been awarded without competitive bidding, raising the suspicion of corruption. The above concerns have hampered access to financing from international financial institutions, slowing down the dam building program. Weighing the benefits and costs of large dams is far from easy. The following sections describe the impacts of the dams in more detail as objectively as possible, in order to provide a basis for such an assessment by the reader. == List of dams and hydropower plants == Other projects included in the 25-year Master Plan of the national power utility EEPCO: * Tekeze II 450 MW, * Genale Dawa IV 256 MW, * Border 800 - 1200 MW, located on the Blue Nile. * Mendaia 2400 - 2800 MW, located on the Blue Nile. * Beko Abo 2100 MW, located on the Blue Nile. * Kara Dodi 1600 MW; prefeasibility study by Norconsult-Lahmeyer financed by a grant from Norway is complete; the dam will be located on the Blue Nile and it expected to export power to Sudan and possibly to Egypt 〔Ministry of Water Resources:(BARO AND KARADOBI HYDROPOWER PROJECTS ), accessed on May 23, 2010〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dams and hydropower in Ethiopia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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