Tekezé Dam is a double-curvature
arch dam
An arch dam is a concrete dam that is curved upstream in plan. The arch dam is designed so that the force of the water against it, known as hydrostatic pressure, presses against the arch, causing the arch to straighten slightly and strengthe ...
located between Amhara and
Tigray region
The Tigray Region, officially the Tigray National Regional State, is the northernmost regional state in Ethiopia. The Tigray Region is the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob, and Kunama people. Its capital and largest city is Mekelle. Tigray ...
of
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
. It is situated on the
Tekezé River
The Tekezé or Täkkäze River ( amh, ተከዜ, ti, ተከዘ; originally meaning "river" in Ge’ez, ), also spelled Takkaze, is a major river of Ethiopia. For part of its course it forms a section of the westernmost border of Ethiopia and Eri ...
, a tributary of the
Nile
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest ...
that flows through one of the deepest canyons in the world.
Overview
CWGS was contracted to build the Tekezé Dam. The hydroelectric project was completed in February 2009. Its final cost was $360 million, which was $136 million over budget. The dam was Ethiopia's largest public works project.
The dam helped to reduce power shortages as Ethiopia's power demand increases.
At the time of its completion, the Tekezé Dam was Africa's largest double-curvature arch dam.
The resulting reservoir is 105 km² large and it has a capacity of 9.3 billion m³ of water.
[ANNYS, Sofie; GHEBREYOHANNES, Tesfaalem; NYSSEN, Jan. Impact of hydropower dam operation and management on downstream hydrogeomorphology in semi-arid environments (Tekeze, Northern Ethiopia). Water, 2020, 12.8: 2237.](_blank)
/ref>
Tekeze Power Station
The powerhouse contains four turbines,Mekelle
Mekelle ( ti, መቐለ, am, መቀሌ, mäqälle, mek’elē) or Mekele is a special zone and capital of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Mekelle was formerly the capital of Enderta awraja in Tigray. It is located around north of the Ethiopi ...
.
See also
* Energy in Ethiopia
Energy in Ethiopia is energy and electricity production, consumption, transport, exportation, and importation in Ethiopia.
Overview
The following table provides some of the most relevant energy sector numbers for Ethiopia, a developing country. ...
* List of power stations in Ethiopia
This page lists power stations in Ethiopia, both integrated with the national power grid but also isolated ones. Due to the quickly developing demand for electricity in Ethiopia, operational power plants are listed as well as those under constructi ...
* Water politics in the Nile Basin
As a body of water that crosses numerous international political borders, the Nile river is subject to multiple political interactions. Traditionally it is seen as the world's longest river flowing 6,700 kilometers through ten countries in northe ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tekeze Dam
Dams completed in 2009
Dams in Ethiopia
Dams in the Nile basin
Reservoirs in Ethiopia
Tigray Region
Atbarah River