The government of Ecuador has awarded Chinese firm Sinohydro Corporation a contract to build the 1500MW Coca-Coda-Sinclair project in the Amazon province of Napo.
The project, to be completed in 2015, is expected to cost an estimated US$2B, with 85% funded by the Export-Import Bank of China, and 15% by the Ecuadorian government.
The project will include construction of a dam and powerhouse on the Coca river and 24km of tunnelling work.
Once complete, it is expected to provide 75% of Ecuador’s power needs and will be the country’s largest hydroelectric project.
Sinohydro also recently signed deals to build the Nam Kham 2 (126.2MW) and Nam Kham 3 (47MW) projects in Lao PDR, and was awarded a contract to supply equipment for the Xiangjiaba and Jinping I hydro power plants in Sichuan province, China.
