After comprehensive two-year service and maintenance contracts were signed last year between Voith Hydro and the owners of the Gilgel Gibe II hydropower plant, Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), the modernisation is now being promoted with the help of digital solutions.
The service and maintenance contracts, which were already signed last year as part of the “G20 Investment Summit”, optimise maintenance and support daily operations. The activities are implemented by Ethiopian Voith experts on site.
The contract now agreed includes additional spare parts as well as service and software solutions, including OnCare.Asset and OnCall.Video. This will enable Voith to provide Gilgel Gibe II operators with more efficient service and maintenance planning.
The intelligent applications can be used throughout the entire service cycle, starting with maintenance and reporting and ending with spare parts management.
OnCare.Asset reduces maintenance and operating costs while enabling high system availability. The digital service portfolio also includes OnCall.Video, where experts are available regardless of location and time. In addition, Voith Hydro will provide further spare parts and staff training for the Gilgel Gibe II hydropower plant to enable knowledge transfer and realise the improvements.
“This contract strengthens the partnership between Voith Hydro and Ethiopian Electric Power and demonstrates the benefits of digital solutions tailored for Africa,” says Mark Claessen, Regional Market Director of Voith Hydro.
Hydropower for sustainable development in Africa
The Ethiopian hydropower plant is located 300 km southwest of the capital Addis Ababa.
For Ethiopia, but also for other countries in Africa, stable and sustainable power generation is of enormous importance as a basis for positive economic and socio-cultural development. To promote this, Voith has been involved in Africa for over 80 years. With 45,000 megawatts, Ethiopia has one of the largest hydropower potentials in Africa. With the help of hydropower plant technology, a total of 900,000 households are supplied with sustainable and clean electricity in Ethiopia.
Basis: Voith press release
