Webuild’s Ten Mega-Projects, Two in Ethiopia: GERD and Koysha











Webuild’s Monumental Footprint: Inside the World’s Ten Most Ambitious Infrastructure Projects

With Ethiopia as a rising energy powerhouse, two of Webuild’s boldest ventures illuminate how infrastructure can drive national transformation.

A Century of Vision Meets Twenty-First Century Challenges

From tunnels under the Alps to hydroelectric giants in the Horn of Africa, Webuild—the successor to the 114-year-old Salini Impregilo—has built its reputation on delivering projects that redraw maps and recast economies. The Italian construction giant operates across five continents, constructing dams taller than skyscrapers, metro systems that reinvent entire cities and rail corridors that knit nations together.

Determining Webuild’s “largest” projects goes beyond tallying budgets. Some ventures matter for their geopolitical weight, others for record-breaking engineering. But viewed together, they reveal a company that builds more than infrastructure: it builds the very scaffolding for sustainable growth, energy security and urban resilience.

Among the ten mega-projects that define Webuild’s global presence, two stand out not only for their scale but for their national symbolism: Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the Koysha Hydroelectric Project. Their story shows how infrastructure can become a tool of sovereignty and continental influence.

Ethiopia’s Twin Energy Giants

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: The Flagship of a Continental Ambition

Rising 170 metres above the Blue Nile, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is the largest hydropower project in Africa and the most consequential in Webuild’s Ethiopian portfolio. Built at a cost of over $5 billion, an extraordinary 91 percent financed by Ethiopia’s own central bank and the remainder through citizen bonds, the GERD has become a national rallying point and a potent symbol of self-reliance.

Its 5,150 MW installed capacity will more than double Ethiopia’s electricity generation and provide a stable source of clean energy for over 120 million citizens, with surplus power destined for export to Kenya, Sudan and Djibouti. By creating a renewable-energy surplus, the dam positions Ethiopia as a regional electricity hub and a key player in Africa’s energy transition.

But the GERD is more than an engineering marvel; it is a geopolitical pivot. The project has sparked protracted negotiations with downstream nations Egypt and Sudan, testing diplomacy along the Nile Basin. For Ethiopia, the dam represents both an assertion of energy sovereignty and a gateway to industrialization. For Webuild, it is proof of its capacity to deliver nation-defining infrastructure under intense political and technical scrutiny.

Koysha Hydroelectric Project: Consolidating an Energy Strategy

Downstream on the Omo River, Webuild is constructing the Koysha Hydroelectric Project, a natural complement to the GERD. With a contract value of €2.5 billion (about $2.8 billion), Koysha will add another 2,200 MW of generation capacity through an 180-metre-high roller-compacted concrete dam.

Koysha is part of a deliberate Ethiopian strategy to transform the country into the “powerhouse of East Africa.” Together with the GERD and the Gibe III dam, it forms a cascading chain of hydro projects designed to guarantee domestic electricity supply, attract energy-intensive industry and create an export market that can generate precious foreign exchange.

The project also carries deep environmental and economic significance. By harnessing renewable hydropower on a massive scale, Ethiopia aims to curb reliance on fossil fuels and reduce carbon emissions—while creating thousands of jobs during construction and in the industries that abundant power will enable. Webuild’s role here illustrates how a global contractor can become a long-term partner in a nation’s development blueprint.

The Other Global Landmarks

While Ethiopia provides perhaps the most dramatic example of infrastructure as a lever of national transformation, Webuild’s global portfolio is equally striking:

Riyadh Metro, Saudi Arabia – A $22.5–25 billion driverless network that will cut 250,000 daily car trips and redefine urban mobility.

Brenner Base Tunnel, Italy/Austria – 230 km of tunnels beneath the Alps; costs have climbed to €10.5 billion as Europe invests in low-carbon freight transport.

Snowy 2.0, Australia – A “giant battery” for the national grid, now budgeted at AUD 12 billion, capable of storing 350,000 MWh of renewable energy.

Terzo Valico dei Giovi Railway, Italy – A €6–6.2 billion, 53 km high-capacity rail link unlocking Genoa’s port for continental trade.

Panama Canal Expansion, Panama – A >$5 billion enlargement that doubled canal capacity and preserved Panama’s central role in global shipping.

Copenhagen Cityringen Metro, Denmark – A $3.2 billion, 15.5 km automated circle line advancing the city’s 2025 carbon-neutral goal.

Diriyah Square, Saudi Arabia – A $2 billion cultural and retail district integrating traditional Nadji architecture with modern urban design.

Rogun Dam, Tajikistan – Set to become the world’s tallest dam at 335 m, generating 3,600 MW and securing energy independence for Central Asia’s most mountainous nation.

Patterns Beneath the Concrete

These projects, from the Alps to the Omo River, reveal recurring themes:

Hydropower Leadership – Ethiopia’s GERD and Koysha, along with Tajikistan’s Rogun Dam and Australia’s Snowy 2.0, demonstrate Webuild’s deep expertise in large-scale renewable energy—exactly the kind of capacity the world needs for decarbonization.

Nation-Building Impact – In Ethiopia especially, infrastructure is political. GERD and Koysha are not just power plants; they are instruments of economic independence, industrialization and regional influence.

Risk and Reward – Mega-projects like Snowy 2.0 and the Brenner Base Tunnel show how inflation, geology and supply-chain shocks can drive costs upward. Yet their strategic value—be it energy security or freight efficiency—ultimately outweighs the volatility.

Outlook: Ethiopia as a Case Study in Infrastructure-Driven Development

The Ethiopian projects highlight a central truth about Webuild’s work: scale is measured not only in billions of dollars but in the transformation of nations. By delivering GERD and Koysha, Webuild has helped Ethiopia leap toward a future of energy surplus and economic self-determination.

As governments worldwide pursue climate goals and modernize aging infrastructure, the need for such transformative partnerships will only intensify. Webuild’s Ethiopian experience shows how engineering expertise, patient financing and political will can combine to reshape a country’s economic destiny—an object lesson for emerging economies everywhere.