Ethiopia launches Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as turbine operations begin
Africa’s largest hydroelectric project formally inaugurated amid domestic jubilation and regional tensions
Ethiopia on Tuesday formally launched the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, marking the completion of what the government says is Africa’s largest hydroelectric project and the start of full turbine operations that it expects will transform the country’s energy supply.
The dam, built on the Blue Nile, stretches 1.78 kilometres across a valley and stands 145 metres high. Constructed with about 11 million cubic metres of concrete, it has created a reservoir named Lake Nigat, which means “dawn” in Amharic. Ethiopian officials say the facility will eventually produce about 5,100 megawatts of power, more than doubling the country’s current generation capacity and enabling tens of millions more homes to gain electricity if distribution networks are expanded.
The project, whose planning began after 2011 and whose construction involved around-the-clock work over 14 years, has been a focal point for national pride in a country beset by political and ethnic tensions. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed presided over the formal launch. Engineers and thousands of workers who laboured under harsh conditions, including extreme heat and long separations from family, say the dam became more than a job: it became a symbol of unity and of the country’s ambitions.
"Watching the dam's progress day by day was deeply satisfying," said Moges Yeshiwas, an Ethiopian mechanical engineer who worked on the site. "I came seeking employment, but somewhere along the way, it stopped feeling like just a job. I grew attached to the project, worrying about its future as if it were my own."
Public fundraising and government bonds played a significant role in financing the project, Addis Ababa says. Multiple fundraising campaigns prompted contributions from people across the country; some citizens bought government bonds repeatedly. Officials deny external funding claims that have circulated in international debate, maintaining the project was funded domestically.
The dam’s location on a primary tributary of the Nile has been a source of diplomatic friction with downstream neighbours, particularly Egypt. The Nile provides the vast majority of Egypt’s freshwater and concerns over reduced flows prompted years of negotiations and periodic spikes in tension between Cairo and Addis Ababa. Ethiopian authorities have said the dam is intended for power generation rather than irrigation control, while downstream governments have sought assurances on flow management.
Despite international disagreement, many Ethiopians view the dam as a crucial step toward national development. Water and Energy Minister Habtamu Ifeta told the BBC that nearly half of Ethiopia's 135 million people lack access to electricity and that the government aims to extend access to at least 90% of the population by 2030. Officials acknowledge that achieving that goal will require massive investment in transmission infrastructure: tens of thousands of kilometres of power lines and substations still need to be built to connect rural and remote communities.
Residents in farming communities where grid connection is not yet available described everyday hardships that electricity could alleviate. Getenesh Gabiso, a 35-year-old farmer living about 10 kilometres from a major city, said her family relies on firewood for cooking and kerosene lamps for light. She described health concerns from smoke and a longing simply for electric light at night. "I want to see light in my house. All the other electric goods don't matter now. Just light in the evening is all I want," she said.
The dam’s construction also affected people far from the site who nonetheless contributed to the effort. Kiros Asfaw, a clinical nurse from the Tigray region that suffered a two-year civil war, said he purchased government bonds more than 100 times over the years to support the project, pausing only when conflict disrupted banking services. Such stories underscore the government’s narrative that the dam was a unifying national endeavour despite political divisions.
Work at the construction site was demanding, employees say. Shifts ran from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with only one hour for lunch, and crews worked around the clock to keep construction on schedule. Temperatures at times reached about 45 degrees Celsius. Engineers were tasked with ensuring structural integrity and construction standards on a project that used millions of cubic metres of concrete and involved complex technical coordination.
Ethiopia’s announcement that all turbines are operating signals the transition from construction to power generation, but analysts and officials caution that generation alone will not immediately deliver widespread access. The government must accelerate grid expansion and build substations and distribution lines to move electricity from the dam’s remote location to population centres and rural districts. Without that infrastructure, generation gains could fall short of improving access across large parts of the country.
The dam’s completion reshapes political and environmental conversations about water resources in the Nile basin. Downstream governments have called for continued talks to manage seasonal flows and drought conditions, while Ethiopia has emphasized the developmental benefits and the technical focus on hydroelectric generation. Regional bodies and international mediators have intermittently engaged in the dispute, but trust deficits remain.
As Ethiopia moves to operationalize the dam’s full potential, officials and citizens alike framed the project as a turning point. "I hate the fact that I couldn't be there for my son as much as I needed to," said Moges, the engineer, reflecting on long separations from family during construction. "But I know his future is going to be bright because of something I have contributed, and I am so proud to tell him that when he grows up."
Ethiopia’s challenge now is to translate the dam’s potential into reliable, affordable electricity across the country while maintaining dialogue with neighbours over water management. The formal inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam ends a major construction chapter but begins a complex period of implementation and regional negotiation over one of Africa’s most consequential infrastructure projects.