Located just outside Adama Town in Oromia Regional State in Ethiopia, the Adama I (53 MW) and Adama II (151 MW) wind-energy infrastructure projects were developed by the Government of Ethiopia in collaboration with two Chinese contractors, HydroChina Corporation and China Geoengineering Corporation Overseas Construction Group (CGCOC Group), using concessional loans from the Chinese Government. The two projects are the first of their kind to be developed in Africa using a combination of Ethiopian regulatory guidelines and Chinese standards and technology.

Project Impacts

• Employment: The development of the Adama wind farms generated local employment. Based on the author’s field research, during the construction period, Adama I had a total workforce of 1,100, of whom 800 were Ethiopian and 300 were Chinese. Adama II had a total workforce of 1,480, of whom 1,200 were Ethiopian and 280 were expatriate Chinese. No precise figures are available regarding the workforce involved in the operation of the two farms.
• Land Issues: The two wind farms are in the Oromia region, an area where there were existing tensions with the federal government over land displacement. The development of Adama I and II impacted 1,327 farmers when 145 hectares of their farmland was taken to create space for the wind turbine foundations and access roads.
• Impact on the Local Community: The development of the Adama wind farms has been celebrated by both Chinese and Ethiopian officials as a fundamental contribution to rural economic development through employment creation and infrastructure improvement, particularly in the surrounding villages of Mukiye, Bubisa, Qachema, Kobolito, Sere-robi, Jogo Gudedo, Tede-dildima, and Mele-mele.
• Technical Skills, Knowledge, and Technology Transfer: The EPC plus financing contracts used to deliver the two projects limited the technology transfer from China to Ethiopia, as is typical with this model of contracting. However, technical skills and knowledge were transferred from the Chinese contractors to local engineers and technicians. Fifty-five EEP engineers and technicians—25 for Adama I and 30 for Adama II—were trained in China and onsite during construction.