| Genale Dawa III Dam | |
| Dam Crosses: | Ganale Doria River |
| Dam Type: | Gravity dam |
| Dam Length: | 110 |
| Dam Width Crest: | 456 |
| Dam Volume: | 3.22 million |
| Spillway Type: | CFRD |
| Spillway Capacity: | 1,880 m3/second |
| Construction Began: | March 2011 |
| Opening: | 2020 |
| Cost: | £352.7 million ($451 million) |
| Owner: | Ethiopian Electric Power |
| Plant Turbines: | 3 x 84.7 MW |
| Plant Capacity: | 254MW |
| Plant Commission: | February 2020 |
| Location Map: | Ethiopia#Africa#World |
| Location Map Caption: | Location of Genale Dawa III Power Station Placement on map is approximate |
| Coordinates: | 5.5101°N 39.7181°W |
| Country: | Ethiopia |
| Purpose: | Part of Ethiopia's plan of universal electrification access by 2025 |
The Genale Dawa III Power Station, also GD-3 Power Station, is a hydroelectric power station across the Ganale Doria River in Ethiopia. Construction began circa March 2011 and the power station was commercially commissioned in February 2020. The renewable energy infrastructure development is owned by the government of Ethiopia and was constructed by China Gezhouba Group, a subsidiary of China Energy Engineering Corporation at an estimated cost of £352.7 million ($451 million), co-financed by the Exim Bank of China and the Ethiopian Government.[1] [2]
The power station lies across the Ganale Doria River, along the border of Kobadi Woreda and Meda Welabu Woreda, in the Bale Zone of the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. This is approximately 610km (380miles) by road, southeast of Addis Ababa, the largest city and capital of Ethiopia. The geographical coordinates of Genale–Dawa 3 Hydroelectric Power Station are 05°30'36.5"N, 39°43'05.0"E (Latitude:5.510139; Longitude:39.718056).
The dam is a "concrete-lined rockfill dam". The water reservoir measures 110m (360feet) in height and is 456m (1,496feet) long. The dam reservoir has a retention capacity of 3200000m2 of water. The underground powerhouse has three Francis turbines, each rated at 84.7 megawatts, relaying the power to an above-ground switchyard.[3] From the power station, two high-voltage transmission lines (one at 400kV and another at 230kV), transfer the energy a total of 295km (183miles) to a substation owned by the Ethiopian Electric Power, where the energy is integrated into the national grid.[1]
Genale–Dawa III Hydroelectric Power Station is wholly owned and operated by the Government of Ethiopia.[1] [3]
The construction budget is quoted as £352.7 million (US$451 million). The table below outlines the sources of funding for constructing the dam and power station, including the associated infrastructure.[1] [3]
| 1 | 254.85 million | 72.26 | Loan | |
| 2 | Government of Ethiopia | 53.00 million | 15.03 | Equity Investment |
| 3 | Others | 44.83 million | 12.71 | Loan |
| Total | 352.7 million | 100.00 | ||
GD-3 Dam is a multi-purpose dam. Besides power generation, the dam reservoir serves as a water storage facility for use during water scarcity. In addition, the water will be used for irrigation of approximately 15000ha, as part of the Lower Genale Irrigation Development Project.[1]