Rumors are circulating that a drone strike destroyed Tekeze Dam and the associated 300-MW hydroelectric project, but owner Ethiopian Electric Power Corp. indicates this is a false rumor.
On its Facebook page, EEP said that while some sort of attack did happen, it was not to the dam but to a “terrorist group” that crossed the dam and invaded. “The rumor that Tekeze water power dam has been hit by the government by the terrorist TPLF group and its enemies is false,” EEP said.
Several Facebook posts apparently from individuals show a video of what appears to be an electrical substation (which may or may not be located on the dam itself) on fire.
The Tekeze hydropower project is located on the Tekeze River, a tributary of the Nile. The project was completed in 2009 and added 40% more energy to the country. It was the largest public works project in Ethiopia’s history at the time of construction. Due to the lack of natural resources and the cost of imported fuels, power generation in Ethiopia comes primarily from hydroelectric sources.
The Tekeze project includes the tallest arch dam in Africa at 188 m. The dam is a double curvature concrete arch dam, a method of design that minimizes the amount of concrete used, creating a reservoir 70 km in length. An underground powerhouse, containing four 75-MW Francis turbines, is located about 500 m downstream of the dam and fed by a 75-m-high intake structure connected by a 500-m-long concrete-lined power tunnel. A 230-kV double-circuit transmission line 105 km long was constructed through mountainous terrain to connect to the Ethiopian national grid.
EEP acknowledged that Tekeze Dam has been a target of similar “false propaganda,” saying the same rumor was spread that the dam was hit earlier. Other reports indicate the dam was bombed in November 2020. The EEP Facebook page said the terrorist group expects that being able to control the dam would allow it to cause a huge amount of damage. The group may release the water “to terrorize the people and to attract international attention in the lower flood areas,” EEP said.
