Gilgel Gibe II Power Station

Gilgel Gibe II Power Station
Location of Gilgel Gibe II Power Station in Ethiopia
Country	Ethiopia
Location	Jimma, Oromia Region
Coordinates	7°45′25″N 37°33′44″E / 7.75694°N 37.56222°E / 7.75694; 37.56222Coordinates: 7°45′25″N 37°33′44″E / 7.75694°N 37.56222°E / 7.75694; 37.56222
Status	Operational
Owner(s)	Ethiopian Electric and Power Corporation (EEPCo)
Thermal power station
Type	Hydroelectric
Power generation
Units operational	4 x Pelton-type
Nameplate capacity	420 MW
Annual gross output	1635 GWh Est.

The Gilgel Gibe II Power Station is a hydroelectric power station on the Omo River in Ethiopia. It is located about 80 km (50 mi) east of Jimma in Oromia Region. The power station receives water from a tunnel entrance 7°55′27″N 37°23′16″E / 7.92417°N 37.38778°E / 7.92417; 37.38778 (Gilgel Gibe II Power Station headrace tunnel entrance) on the Gilgel Gibe River. It has an installed capacity of 420 MW and was inaugurated on January 14, 2010. Almost two weeks after inauguration, a portion of the head race tunnel collapsed causing the station to shut down, repairs were complete on December 26, 2010.

The Gilgel Gibe II consists of a power station on the Omo River that is fed with water from a headrace tunnel and sluice gate on the Gilgel Gibe River. The headrace tunnel runs 26 km (16 mi) under the Fofa Mountain and at its end, it converts into a with a 500 m (1,600 ft) drop. When the water reaches the power station, it powers four Pelton turbines that operate four 107 MW generators. Each turbine is 3.5 m (11 ft) in diameter.

Construction on the power plant began on March 19, 2005, with Salini Costruttori as the main contractor. The power station was originally slated to be complete in late 2007 but was delayed because engineering problems encountered during construction. In March 2005, the contract to excavate the tunnel was awarded to SELI and in October 2006, a tunnel boring machine (TBM) hit a fault, delaying the project. On June 9, 2009, both TBMs met each other and the tunnel was ready for hydraulic testing that September. The tunnel is "considered one of the most difficult tunnel projects ever undertaken, due to the critical, and in some reaches, exceptionally adverse, ground conditions." The power station was inaugurated on January 14, 2010.