Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has exceeded its long-term design estimates by approximately 17% in its first year of full operation, generating more than half of the country’s electricity and strengthening regional power exports, according to Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) data cited by the GERD International Collaborative Consortium and highlighted by Ethiopian diplomat Nebiyu Tedla.⁠

The 5,150 MW mega-dam on the Blue Nile, inaugurated on September 9, 2025, as Africa’s largest hydropower project, accounted for 51.5% of Ethiopia’s total generation of roughly 35,671 GWh in the 2025/26 fiscal year. This represented a strong contribution to a national total that was itself about 21% higher than the previous year.

Officials and analysts attribute the higher-than-expected output to favorable hydrological conditions and efficient management. The surplus has also supported electricity exports of around 2,500 GWh to neighbors including Kenya, Djibouti, and Sudan, boosting Ethiopia’s role in the Eastern Africa Power Pool and regional energy connectivity.⁠

The GERD continues to reshape Ethiopia’s energy landscape and the broader Horn of Africa power market more than a year after its formal inauguration.