US EditionEthiopia Inaugurates Grand Renaissance Dam, Africa's Largest Hydropower Project
The $5 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will double Ethiopia's electricity capacity to 5,000 megawatts, addressing energy shortages and enabling power exports despite regional tensions.
- On September 9, 2025, Ethiopia officially opened the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Guba, concluding the construction of the continent’s biggest hydroelectric power facility.
- The dam's construction, begun in April 2011 and funded largely by domestic sources, proceeded despite over a decade of Egypt and Sudan's diplomatic opposition and failed negotiations.
- The dam, standing 170 meters tall and holding a reservoir capable of storing 74 billion cubic meters of water, has a generating capacity of 5,150 megawatts and is designed to supply electricity to millions while promoting regional economic growth through energy exports.
- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed described the dam as an unprecedented development for Black communities and stressed the importance of mutual growth without causing harm to neighboring countries, while Egypt reaffirmed its longstanding water rights and expressed concerns about the impact on Nile river flows.
- The dam's inauguration symbolizes a fundamental shift in Nile Basin power dynamics, ending Egypt's century-old hydro-hegemony and compelling downstream states to adapt to a new era of cooperative water management.
207 Articles
207 Articles
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The countries around the Horn of Africa, which include major states such as Ethiopia and Sudan, usually get little attention except when they are involved in wars. But there are other stories as well.
Ethiopia inaugurates Africa's largest hydroelectric dam as Egypt rift deepens
Ethiopia has inaugurated Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam, a project that could transform the country’s energy sector but may also deepen a long-running dispute with Egypt over access to Nile River water. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed hailed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as a milestone that will electrify the entire region. However, Egypt fears the dam could restrict its water supply, especially during periods of drought. Th…
der Standard AT
der Standard DEEthiopia opens the largest dam in Africa – a milestone for the country, possibly a risk for Egypt and Sudan
Eesti Rahvusringhääling
Česká televizeEthiopia officially opened Africa's largest hydroelectric dam on Tuesday, which will provide power to millions of people. The construction of a high-dam power plant on a tributary of the Nile River is heightening tensions with downstream Egypt and has unsettled the region.
Ethiopia's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is a century-long project designed to power millions of people. In Egypt, politicians played with the idea of blowing up the dam.
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