Wind power in Ethiopia: Adama II Wind Farm to Be Completed in Three Months

The Adama II Wind Farm, a power generating project which has been jointly implemented by two Chinese companies, namely HYDROCHINA and CGCOC, since July 2013 is nearing completion.

Liu Jianquan, HYDROCHINA Procurement and Programme Manager told The Ethiopian Herald yesterday that 78 of the total 102 wind turbines, each having a power generating capacity of 1.53 megawatt of electricity, have already been erected.

 

The Project has now reached 83 per cent of completion and the entire Project work is expected to be finalized next June, according to Jianquan.

The 345 million USD power project will have the capacity to generate a total of 153 megawatt of electricity upon going fully operational which makes it the largest ever in the country and three times the capacity of the previously completed Adama I Project.

Among the 78 erected, the number of wind turbines that are already generating electricity has reached 30 since the first turbine started generating electricity in October last year, according to Liu Jianquan.

Apart from the installation of wind turbines the Adama II Project includes construction of transmission sub-stations that receive the electricity generated from the wind turbines and connect it to the national grid, a 2.6-km asphalt road, 56 maintenance roads and ditches.

“Now, transportation of all the materials needed for the installation of wind turbines and sub stations is completed, and what remains is erection of 14 turbines, and completion of 30 per cent of the maintenance roads as well as ditches,” said Jianquan.

According to the Project Manager, the Adama II Wind Farm Project is also making positive contribution to technology transfer. In order to help facilitate the technology transfer, 22 Ethiopians were sent to Beijing for a one month training.

Leulseged Taddese and Izudin Mehammed, two of the 22 Ethiopians who attended the training and now doing monitoring work in the operation plant of the Project site, say that the Project is providing them with opportunities to learn new skills and technologies although the fact that some computer and software languages use only Chinese language makes it difficult for them to learn new skills as quickly as possible.

The Adama II Wind Farm Project has employed 900 Ethiopians who are working as technicians, secretaries and daily labourers, and 200 Chinese who have different expertise. Delays related to the settlement of land related issues during the early stages of the Project implementation and high wind at the Project site were the main challenges faced so far according to the Manager.