From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Mon Feb 08 2010 - 18:06:26 EST
http://ghanabusinessnews.com/2010/02/07/new-ethiopia-dam-tunnel-collapses/
Last Updated- Feb 7, 2010 22:05 - -
New Ethiopia dam tunnel collapses
A water passage tunnel in a recently inaugurated hydropower dam in Ethiopia
has reportedly collapsed, an NGO, International Rivers has said.
In a press statement copied to ghanabusinessnews.com, the NGO said a
critical water passage tunnel in the newly inaugurated Gilgel Gibe 2
hydropower project in Ethiopia collapsed.
About 10 days after the ceremony, “African Energy Intelligence” and the
Italian public channel RAI 3 reported that, the project’s core component, a
26-kilometer-long tunnel collapsed, shutting down operations for an extended
period. The repair could take months, the reports said.
The dam which is currently Ethiopia’s biggest power plant has a capacity of
420 megawatts and was built at a cost of 374 million euros. The project
channels the water discharged from the Gilgel Gibe 1 Dam through a long
tunnel and a steep drop directly to the valley of the Omo River.
The project, being built by Italian firm Salini, had already been delayed by
more than two years, the statement said.
The NGO claims that the Gilgel Gibe contract was also awarded without a
feasibility study. Adding that construction started – again in violation of
Ethiopian law – without an environmental permit.
Italian law and international agreements require that development aid only
fund infrastructure projects that are based on international tenders. Yet in
violation of that law, and against the recommendation of its own evaluators,
Italy’s Ministry of Development Cooperation awarded 220 million Euros in aid
money for Salini’s contract on Gibe 2. The European Investment Bank
contributed another 50 million Euros, and the Ethiopian government funded
the remaining 104 million Euros for the project, it said.
According to the statement, the power project was supposed to be completed
in December 2007, but shoddy planning took its toll. Poor geological studies
overlooked sandy soils and other unexpected problems. Tunnel-boring
equipment got stuck in the mud, and engineers had to redesign the tunnel’s
path. Usually contractors carry the risks of such cost overruns. Yet the
dubiously negotiated contract for Gilgel Gibe 2 exempts Salini from
geological risks, so the Ethiopian electricity consumers and taxpayers ended
up with the bill.
This new accident falls under the contractual responsibilities of Salini,
and the company must restore the tunnel and cover all extra costs, but it is
possible that
part of these costs will again be transferred to Ethiopian taxpayers, the
statement said.
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi
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