6.6-MW Aba Samuel hydropower plant returned to Ethiopia following completion of work by Chinese

The 6.6-MW Aba Samuel hydropower plant is now back in Ethiopian hands following the completion of a Chinese-led rehabilitation and handover ceremony this week.

The small hydro project is Ethiopia's oldest, having gone on line in 1941, but had been sat idle since the 1970s until 2012, when China signed an engineering, procurement and construction contract with the African country for its repair.

PowerChina Huadong Engineering Corp. began the US$14 million rehab in 2014 before completing the work and handing the plant off to Ethiopian Electric Power.

China has been a strong force in developing Ethiopia's hydropower sector in recent years through both financing and work performed.

HydroWorld.com reported in September 2014 that the Ethiopian government had signed a deal with China Gezhouba Group Co. and Sinohydro to construct the 385-MW Geba 1 and 2, while the two also formed a created a joint venture to construct the 300-MW Tekeze hydroelectric project on Ethiopia's Tekeze River.

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