Meet Habtamu Alebachew, Lead Electromechanical Engineer, on Snowy 2.0! 

Building hydropower stations and Metro links all around the world with Webuild, Habtamu brings 16 years of expertise to the mega-hydro project and an outstanding attitude to the team. 

Born in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, growing up in a very social community, Habtamu played a lot of football and was deeply curious about science and technology. He had been an exceptional student from a young age, excelling in high school. He later went on to complete his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering at Mekelle University in northern Ethiopia. 

After graduating from university, he became interested in hydropower projects in Ethiopia. Webuild, formerly Salini Impregilio, was one of the main contractors working on these projects and Habtamu secured a position with them soon after graduation. 

He worked on the Ethiopia Belees Hydro project for almost two years before being offered a scholarship to complete his Master’s in Milan. However, he decided to take up an opportunity to work abroad with Webuild and was assigned to the Uganda Bujagali Hydro Station on Lake Victoria. Habtamu worked there for four years, in which time, he moved into the role of site manager. 

In 2014, Habtamu relocated to Malaysia to take up a position at the Ulu Jelai Hydro Power Station, where he was tasked with overseeing electrical and mechanical design, as well as installation and commissioning activities. Habtamu’s tenure at the station culminated in his appointment as a coordinator.  

Moving on to Denmark, Hab worked on the iconic infrastructure project, Copenhagen Metro. Habtamu served as a commissioning coordinator from 2016 to 2019, demonstrating his ability to manage and coordinate complex projects. Following Europe, Habtamu moved to Western Australia to work on the Forrestfield-Airport Link in Perth, which he saw through to completion in mid-2022. 

Habtamu had been closely monitoring the progress of Snowy 2.0 since 2019 during the design tendering phase. With his strong devotion to all things hydro, and the opportunity to work on a state-of-the-art, large scale pumped hydro project, Habtamu jumped at the chance to offer his expertise, joining the team in August 2022. Habtamu now calls Australia home, and resides in Canberra. 

What Habtamu has learned about project life is that “it’s all about your devotion and dedication. It’s a never-ending learning curve I would say.” 

He believes the future is bright, “to contribute something important for humanity, to take these opportunities and turn them into something meaningful is a way of helping people.” 

About the Snowy 2.0 Project 

Webuild is part of Future Generation Joint Venture - FGJV, the principal contractor for Snowy Hydro Limited, delivering the iconic Snowy 2.0 Project, which will help underpin Australia’s renewable energy future.

Snowy 2.0 will increase the generating capacity of the Snowy Scheme by 2,000 megawatts (MW), up from current capacity which stands at 4,100 MW, and will also triple its pumping capabilities which the Scheme currently has at Tumut 3 power station.

Importantly, Snowy Hydro supplies the National Electricity Market at times of peak demand. As renewable energy sources continue to feed a greater proportion of power into the grid, Snowy 2.0 will help keep the lights on when the wind is not blowing or the sun is not shining.