The Gilgel Gibe II project, the largest ever built power station in the country, can generate 420 mega watt of electricity.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi along the Italian Foreign Affairs Minister, Franco Frattini inaugurated the project.

Speaking at the inauguration of the project, Meles said the victory of development has begun but not yet finished.

Meles said “if we work together, there is nothing impossible that we can achieve.”

The Prime Minister pointed out that using pollutant energy sources is not a must and added that it can be possible to speed up development without polluting the environment.

Meles indicated that his government is committed to double the country's existing energy stock in the coming five years.He also expressed confidence that the entire Ethiopian people and the Italian government would stand on the side of the government for this achievement.

He also expressed appreciation to those workers of the project who selfelessy work for the success of the project.

Speaking at the augural ceremony, Frattini said the Italian government was proud of financing such a huge power plant which has a significant importance in meeting the growing energy demand in Ethiopia.

The Minister said the involvement of his government in the construction of this biggest energy power plant whose importance is unparallel in changing the lives of the people of Ethiopia.

Pointing out that he remembers the speech delivered by Prime Minister Meles at the Developed Countries Summit in Italy, Frattini said the project is the living example of a clean environment which he said was undertaken in compliance with the decision of the summit.

He also expressed the Italian government readiness to continue to cooperate and work together with the government of Ethiopia by extending all the necessary support for similar power development project.

Gilgel Gibe II (GG II) is a new hydroelectric power project that uses water, from the Gilgel Gibe I (GG I) hydroelectric power plant to the Omo River to exploit the large difference in altitude that exists between the two sites.

The Italian government had provided 220 million Euros in the form of loan loan for the construction of the project.

The plant is also the first plant that puts into the grid extra kilovolts, through the two 400 kilovolt transmission lines that are already constructed-one from GGII to the newly constructed Sebeta II 400 kv substation and the other from GGII HE Plant to the newly constructed 400 kv Gilgel Gibe I Substation.

The project main structures were constructed at the intake and outlet.

The intake is located some three kilometers downstream of GG I outlet and about 250km southwest of Addis Ababa on the Addis Ababa to Jimma road.

The outlet is located about 80 km south east of GGII intake and 250km south of Addis Ababa on the road that links Addis Ababa-Wolkite-Kosse in Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional State.

The project was constructed by an Italian company known as Salini construction. Over 2,100 Ethiopians and expatriates from different countries participated in the construction of the project.

Senior government officials, resident ambassadors and invited guests attended the inauguration of the Gilgel Gibe II Project

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