Ethiopia has officially inaugurated the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), now the continent’s largest hydropower plant by generation capacity. The roller-compacted concrete gravity dam is situated on the Blue Nile in the Benishangul-Gumuz region near the Sudanese border.
At 170 metres high and 1 800 metres long, the GERD has an installed capacity of 5 150 MW. It is expected to generate 15 700 GWh of electricity annually, doubling Ethiopia’s power production and enabling future exports to Sudan, Kenya, Djibouti and Tanzania, according to project contractor Webuild. The reservoir extends 172 kilometres and can store 74 billion cubic metres of water.
The project includes two hydroelectric power stations located on either side of the river, housing 13 Francis turbines. Together these units supply the scheme’s 5 150 MW capacity. A secondary 5 km-long rockfill dam with a concrete facing forms part of the overall structure. Average annual water outflow is estimated at 50 billion cubic metres.
