Koysha Hydropower Project Surpasses 77% Completion as Ethiopia Advances One of Africa’s Largest Hydropower Developments

Addis Ababa, August 26, 2026 (FMC) — Construction of Ethiopia’s Koysha Hydropower Project has surpassed 77 percent overall completion, marking significant progress on one of Africa’s largest hydropower developments.

Project Manager Engineer Mebratu Teshome said the 201-meter-high dam has made substantial progress, with excavation works for the powerhouse and the first phase of concrete placement for its civil works fully completed.

A total of 6.4 million cubic meters of earth excavation has been completed, while 81.2 percent of the project’s required 7.72 million cubic meters of concrete has already been placed, he said.

The project is also advancing on its electromechanical works, with the required equipment being manufactured at multiple factories to keep construction on schedule.

Ethiopian Electric Power is financing the project from its own resources, which has helped accelerate construction, according to the project manager.

Koysha is Ethiopia’s second-largest hydropower project after the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and represents a major addition to the country’s renewable-energy infrastructure.

Work is underway to complete the dam by the end of the current Ethiopian fiscal year and bring the first turbine into operation in October 2028, Engineer Mebratu said.

Full construction of the project is targeted for completion by May 2029, he added.

Located on the Omo River in southwestern Ethiopia, Koysha forms part of the Omo-Gibe cascade and stands among the continent’s major hydropower developments.