Ethiopia is awaiting private investors to partner with the government and construct a new hydroelectric dam, dubbed Mendaia, on the Nile River.
The government conducted a feasibility study which found that constructing the Mendaia Dam is viable, according to Moges Mekonnen, Communications Head of Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP).
Located in the Kamash zone of the Benishangul Gumuz region, the proposed Mendaia Dam, which will be built on the Nile once the government secures a private investor willing to partner, is expected to generate 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity once completed.
"We are awaiting for investors under public private partnership for the realization of the dam," Moges told BirrMetrics.
Ethiopia is already constructing the massive Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile, a tributary of the Nile River. With two turbines already installed, the GERD has started producing electricity and will exceed 5,000MW of power upon completion.
The GERD has been primarily funded through a combination of taxpayer money and bond sales to citizens since its inception. However, the government is now looking towards a public-private partnership model for financing future dam projects, including the proposed Mendaia Dam.
