14,700 m3/s (520,000 cu ft/s) for the gated spillway
Reservoir
Creates
Millennium Reservoir
Total capacity
74×10^9 m3 (60,000,000 acre⋅ft)
Active capacity
59.2×10^9 m3 (48,000,000 acre⋅ft)
Inactive capacity
14.8×10^9 m3 (12,000,000 acre⋅ft)
Catchment area
172,250 km2 (66,510 sq mi)
Surface area
1,874 km2 (724 sq mi)
Maximum length
246 km (153 mi)
Maximum water depth
140 m (460 ft)
Normal elevation
640 m (2,100 ft)
Power Station
Operator(s)
Ethiopian Electric Power
Commission date
2022–?[3]
Type
Conventional
Turbines
11 x 400 MW
2 x 375 MW
Francis turbines
Installed capacity
750 MW (operational)
5.15 GW (final)[4]
Capacity factor
28.6%
Annual generation
15.76 TWh (est., planned)[5]
Website www.hidasse.gov.et
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD or TaIHiGe; Amharic: ታላቁ የኢትዮጵያ ሕዳሴ ግድብ, romanized: Tālāqu ye-Ītyōppyā Hidāsē Gidib, Tigrinya: ግድብ ሕዳሰ ኢትዮጵያ, Oromo: Hidha Haaromsaa Guddicha Itoophiyaa[6]), formerly known as the Millennium Dam and sometimes referred to as the Hidase Dam (Amharic: ሕዳሴ ግድብ, romanized: Hidāsē Gidib, Oromo: Hidha Hidāsē), is a gravity dam on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia. The dam is in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia, about 14 km (9 mi) east of the border with Sudan.[7][8]
Constructed between 2011 and 2020, the dam's primary purpose is electricity production to relieve Ethiopia's acute energy shortage and to export electricity to neighbouring countries. With a planned installed capacity of 5.15 gigawatts, when completed, the dam would be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa [9] and among the 20 largest in the world.[10][11][12]
First phase of filling the reservoir began in July 2020 and in August 2020 water level increased to 540 meters (40 meters higher than the bottom of the river which is at 500 meters above sea level).[1][13] The second phase of filling was completed on 19 July 2021, with water levels increased to around 575 meters.[14] The third filling was completed on 12 August 2022 to a level of 600 metres (2,000 ft).[15] The fourth filling was completed on 10 September 2023 with water levels at around 625 metres (2,051 ft).[16]
On 20 February 2022, the dam produced electricity for the first time, delivering it to the grid at a rate of 375 MW.[3] A second 375 MW turbine was commissioned in August 2022.[17]
^ abCite error: The named reference bbcnews-celebrations was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference hidasse-aboutdam was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ab"Ethiopia starts generating power from River Nile dam". BBC News. 20 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
^Cite error: The named reference eza was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference poma was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Hidha Haaromsaa Guddicha Itoophiyaa 'Adwaa Lammaffaa' lammiilee Itoophiyaa tokkoomse". BBC News Afaan Oromoo (in Oromo). Retrieved 1 March 2022.
^"Ethiopia's biggest dam to help neighbours solve power problem". News One. 17 April 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
^Roussi, Antoaneta (10 October 2019). "Nations Clash over Giant Nile Dam". Nature. 574 (7777): 159–60. doi:10.1038/d41586-019-02987-6. PMID 31595068. S2CID 203929162.
^"The bitter dispute over Africa's largest dam". The Economist.
^"Ethiopia: GERD Increases Generation Capacity". allAfrica. 28 February 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
^"Salini will build the biggest dam in Africa". Salini Construttori. 31 March 2011. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
^Ahmed, A. T.; Elsanabary, M. H. (13 March 2015). "Hydrological and Environmental Impacts of Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile River" (PDF). Sharm El Sheikh– Egypt: Eighteenth International Water Technology Conference (CNKI). Retrieved 9 April 2015.
^Cite error: The named reference tractebel-20200910 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"People's Dam Impounded, GERD-Locked Diplomacy, and Egypt's Red Line for a Non-Deferent Ethiopia". Geopolitics Press. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
^Cite error: The named reference aljazeera22 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference reuters23 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Ethiopia announces that second turbine in GERD is in operation". Africanews. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
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