Ethiopia experienced a massive power grid failure on Saturday evening, plunging the nation of 120 million people into darkness. The Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation reported the outage, which triggered a nationwide blackout.
By 10:20 pm local time (1920 GMT), the power utility had managed to restore electricity to approximately half of the country, including most areas of the capital, Addis Ababa.
Ethiopia began generating electricity from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile in February 2022. With its second turbine operational since August of the same year, the dam is a key project in Ethiopia’s energy ambitions.
The country also exports electricity to neighbouring nations, including Kenya, Sudan, and Djibouti, and has agreements with South Sudan, Tanzania, and Somaliland to expand its energy reach.
This blackout raises questions about the reliability of Ethiopia’s energy infrastructure, particularly as it positions itself as a power hub in East Africa. The extent and cause of the grid failure remain unclear, but the incident highlights vulnerabilities even as the GERD project boosts electricity production.
Efforts to fully restore power are ongoing.
