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 Guddicha Haaromsa Itoophiyaa), 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 Metekel Zone of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, close to the border with Sudan. Constructed between 2011 and 2025, the dam's primary purpose is electricity production to relieve Ethiopia's acute energy shortage and to export electricity to neighbouring countries. With an installed capacity of 5.15 gigawatts, the dam is the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa and among the 20 largest in the world. The first phase of filling the reservoir began in July 2020 and in August 2020 the water level rose to an altitude of 540 metres (40 metres higher than the bottom of the river, which is at an altitude of 500 metres above sea level). The second phase of filling was completed on 19 July 2021, with water levels rising to an altitude of around 575 metres. The third filling was completed on 12 August 2022 to an altitude of 600 metres (2,000 ft). The fourth filling was completed on 10 September 2023 with water levels around 625 metres (2,051 ft). The fifth and last filling was completed in October 2024, with a final water level 640 metres (2,100 ft). The plant was formally inaugurated on 9 September 2025. On 20 February 2022, the dam produced electricity for the first time, delivering 375 MW to the grid. A second 375 MW turbine was commissioned in August 2022. The third and fourth 400 MW turbines were commissioned in August 2024. The dam's official opening was 9 September 2025.
Background The name that the Blue Nile river takes in Ethiopia ("Abay") is derived from the Ge'ez word for 'great' to imply its being 'the river of rivers'. The word Abay still exists in Ethiopian major languages to refer to anything or anyone considered to be superior. The site chosen for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam was identified by the United States Bureau of Reclamation in the course of the Blue Nile survey, which was conducted between 1956 and 1964 during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie. However due to the coup d'état of 1974, Somalia's invasion of Ethiopia in 1977–78, and the 15-year-long Ethiopian Civil War, the project did not progress until the early 2000s. The Ethiopian Government surveyed the site in October 2009 and August 2010. In November 2010, a design for the dam was submitted. On 31 March 2011, a day after the project was made public, a US$4.8 billion contract was awarded without competitive bidding to Italian company Salini Impregilo, and the dam's foundation stone was laid on 2 April 2011 by the Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. A rock-crushing plant was constructed, along with a small air strip for fast transportation. The expectation was for the first two power-generation turbines to become operational after 44 months of construction, or early 2015. Egypt, located over 2,500 kilometres (1,600 mi) downstream of the site, opposes the dam, which it believes would reduce the amount of Nile water available to Egypt. Zenawi argued, based on an unnamed study, that the dam would not reduce water availability downstream and would also regulate water for irrigation. In May 2011, it was announced that Ethiopia would share blueprints for the dam with Egypt so that the downstream impact could be examined. The dam was originally called "Project X". After its contract was announced, it was called the Millennium Dam. On 15 April 2011, the Council of Ministers renamed it Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Ethiopia has a potential for about 45 GW of hydropower. The dam is being funded by government bonds and private donations. It was slated for completion in July 2017. The potential impacts of the dam have been the source of severe regional international controversy. Egypt depends on the Nile for about 90% of its water. The Government of Egypt demanded that Ethiopia cease construction on the dam as a precondition to negotiations and has sought regional support for its position, and some political leaders have discussed methods to sabotage it. Egypt planned a diplomatic initiative to undermine support for the dam in the region, China, Italy and other countries supported the project. However, governments of other countries in the Nile Basin Initiative expressed support for the dam. This includes Sudan, the only other nation downstream of the Blue Nile, although Sudan's position towards the dam varied over time. In 2014, Sudan accused Egypt of inflaming the situation. Ethiopia denies that the dam will have a negative impact on downstream water flows and contends that the dam will, in fact, increase water flows to Egypt by reducing evaporation on Lake Nasser. Ethiopia has accused Egypt of being unreasonable; In October 2019, Egypt stated that talks with Sudan and Ethiopia over the operation of a $4 billion hydropower dam that Ethiopia is building on the Nile have reached a deadlock. Beginning in November 2019, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin began facilitating negotiations among the three countries.
Cost and financing The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is estimated to cost close to 5 billion US dollars, about 7% of the 2016 Ethiopian gross national product. The lack of international financing for projects on the Blue Nile River has persistently been attributed to Egypt's campaign to keep control of Nile water sharing. Ethiopia was forced to finance the GERD with crowdsourcing through internal fundraising in the form of selling bonds and persuading employees to contribute a portion of their incomes. Contributions are made in the newly official website confirmed by the verified account of the Office of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia Of the total cost, 1 billion US dollars for turbines and electrical equipment was funded by the Exim Bank of China.
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