The Koysha Hydropower Project, Ethiopia’s second-largest dam after the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), has reached 70 percent completion, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) visited the project site in the South West Ethiopia Peoples’ Region as part of the government’s 100-day macroeconomic performance review for the 2024/25 fiscal year. Officials reported that the dam structure has now reached a height of 128 metres, reflecting steady progress since the Prime Minister’s previous visit.

Located on the Omo River, Koysha is designed to generate between 1,800 and 2,160 megawatts of electricity and produce around 6,460 gigawatt hours annually. The project is expected to play a significant role in expanding the country’s renewable energy capacity and stabilising power supply to the national grid.

Construction began in 2016 under Ethiopian Electric Power, with Italy’s Webuild Group (formerly Salini Impregilo) serving as the main contractor. The total project cost is estimated at about 2.5 billion euros, supported by an additional $950 million in financing to ensure completion.

The roller-compacted concrete gravity dam will rise more than 170 metres and extend one kilometre in width upon completion. It will form a reservoir with a capacity of roughly 9 billion cubic metres, covering 200 square kilometres.