"We have built various water storage structures around the world and often we have had to divert the river flow. The Makaroro River (where the dam was proposed) doesn't have to be moved, which makes it easier to manage."
Mr Carmona managed the construction of four large dams in Spain and South America and was excited about the prospect of relocating his family to Hawke's Bay to lead the project.
OHL was working with GHD, an international civil engineering consultant, to do the design work and will provide the Hawke's Bay Regional Council with detailed costings and information about the overall viability of the scheme.
Bouygues representatives presented to the regional council's Maori Committee recently, specifically looking at the employment opportunities if it was selected as the winning bidder.
Committee chairman Mike Mohi said the company made a commitment to use local labour where it could on the project.
"Building the dam is going to take about three-and-a-half years and outlying the infrastructure will be spread over time, maybe double or triple the time it takes to build the dam."
Mr Mohi said Bouygues indicated it would employ about 300 to 350 people. Between 30 to 40 of those would be the company's "experts from overseas" as well as consultants from Opus.
"The real numbers of people who could be employed or involved in the dam don't come so much from its construction but from its expansion and ongoing infrastructure work, and its benefits for farms processing which can create smaller business opportunities."
Mr Mohi was also involved in Nga Whenua Rahui, a ministerial funded committee, which was looking to train people through EIT Hawke's Bay to work on an ecological mitigation plan for the dam.