Africa’s largest hydropower scheme inaugurated in Ethiopia, doubling national power capacity

For 14 years, Tractebel’s hydropower experts have contributed their deep expertise to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam mega-project—Africa’s largest hydroelectric scheme, with a capacity of 5,150 MW. Its completion was officially announced when the turbines roared to life on September 9, 2025.

The inauguration ceremony of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project, located on the Blue Nile River in western Ethiopia, was officiated by the Ethiopian Prime Minister. In attendance were the Presidents of Kenya, Djibouti, South Sudan and Somalia, joined by Tractebel, Electroconsult, Webuild, and client Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP). After fourteen years of dedicated work, attendees witnessed the moment of commissioning, marking the successful completion of this colossal project.

Since 2011, our hydropower experts have played a central role in this landmark project, acting as Employer’s Representative and overseeing the supervision and coordination of both design and construction.

The Ethiopian Prime Minister officiated the inauguration ceremony of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the presence of the Presidents of Kenya, Djibouti, South Sudan and Somalia, Tractebel, Electroconsult, Webuild, and client Ethiopian Electric Power.

Africa’s largest dam and hydroelectric scheme

The GERD has officially become Africa’s largest dam, surpassing Egypt’s Aswan High Dam, which held the title for more than fifty years. This historic project will play a pivotal role in Ethiopia’s development by unlocking vast energy potential that will drive industrial and economic growth. With 13 turbines and an estimated capacity of a whopping 5,150 megawatts, the power station will double the country’s electricity production, making it the largest installed capacity on the continent.

After 14 years in the making, the GERD was inaugurated on September 9, 2025 

Tractebel and partners: over a decade dedicated to the GERD

Our hydropower experts are particularly proud of this inauguration, which underscores our commitment to Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) to support it in meeting the challenges of this strategic project. Tractebel, in a consortium with Electroconsult (Italy), has provided consultancy services for EEP since the project’s inception.

A technically complex project

The GERD is composed of several structures, including:

• Main 145m-high roller compacted concrete (RCC) dam with a 1.8-km crest and a planned volume of 10.1 million m3
• Gated spillway with a capacity of 14,700 m3 per second
• 45m-high saddle dam, 5.2-km long and made of 17 million m3 of rockfill
• 2 power houses on each side of the dam, equipped with 7 and 6 Francis turbines respectively, with a total installed capacity of 5,150 MW

Inside one of two powerhouses; and the reservoir