Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Explained

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam powers Africa.

The dam stands on the Blue Nile near Ethiopia and Sudan.

Electric power lines and pylons near the GERD site.

The dam’s reservoir holds 74 cubic kilometers of water full.

The main dam is 145 meters tall and 1,780 meters long.

Thirteen turbines generate 5,150 megawatts of electricity total.

Spillways safely discharge up to 30,200 cubic meters per second.

The auxiliary spillway opens only when the reservoir is full.

Reservoir behind the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam fills.

The reservoir’s full supply level is 640 meters above sea level.

The reservoir finished filling its last phase in October 2024.

Electricity first flowed to the grid in February 2022 at three hundred seventy-five megawatts.

Reservoir filling behind Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in 2020.

Reservoir filling behind Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in 2020.

Satellite image shows reservoir filling behind Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.