MWH Global has announced it has opened an office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to serve as a hub for construction and engineering professionals, and house an administrative staff to support MWH efforts in Africa.
MWH has been involved in a number of projects in Ethiopia. In 1998, MWH was selected by the Ethiopia Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) as owner's engineers for the Tekeze Hydropower Project in northern Ethiopia. The $350M government-funded project-and tallest arch in Africa at 188m-high was completed in 2009 and generates 300MW of hydroelectric power, 40% more energy than was previously generated for the country's 80 million residents.
Most recently, MWH was selected to provide owner's engineer services for the Genale-Dawa (GD-3) Multipurpose Hydropower Project on the Genale River with the goal of generating 254MW of hydroelectric power and providing irrigation water for downstream agriculture. MWH also signed an agreement to collaborate on additional water and hydropower projects in Ethiopia with the Water Works Design and Supervision Enterprise, an Addis Ababa-based firm dedicated to water resource research, development and utilization.
“MWH has long been committed to providing solutions for our clients' needs, and this office will put us in better position to realize the growth potential we see in Ethiopia and throughout Africa," said Joe Adams, president of energy and industry for MWH. "We look forward to delivering and expanding our service offerings to new and existing clients in Ethiopia and beyond as we continue our mission of building a better world."
Craig Harris will serve as the Ethiopia country manager for MWH. Harris has over 30 years of international water and hydropower engineering experience. He has worked in Peru, Argentina, Nicaragua, Iceland, Pakistan, and most recently relocated to Addis Ababa from Chicago, Ill.
Image: Tekeze project in Ethiopia
