Inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Image source: Office of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia)

Ethiopia has officially inaugurated its US$5bn Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), almost a decade and a half after initial work commenced back in 2011

Africa's largest hydroelectric dam, electricity production has slowly increased since the first turbine was switched on in 2022, to now reach a maximum of 5,150MW of power.

The main dam, 170 metres high and 1,800 metres long, is the largest gravity dam in rolled concrete ever built in Africa.

Ethiopia now hopes the mega project — among the 20 biggest hydroelectric dams in the world — will provide energy to millions across the region.

At a ceremony at the site in Guba, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed addressed a crowd of gathered dignitaries including the presidents of Somalia, Djibouti and Kenya— though not those of Egypt and Sudan, which have long expressed concerns about the project.

Egypt, which built its own Aswan High Dam on the Nile in the 1960s, fears it could restrict its water supply during droughts, and could encourage the construction of other upstream dams.

“To our [Sudanese and Egyptian] brothers; Ethiopia built the dam to prosper, to electrify the entire region and to change the history of black people,” said Abiy. “It is absolutely not to harm its brothers.”

Abiy added that the dam will improve access to electricity for almost half the population who had none as recently as 2022, as well export surplus energy to the region.

The project was designed and built by Italy-based Webuild - Webuild's CEO Pietro Salini also attended the inauguration event.

It has now completed 30 projects in Ethiopia, with a strong focus on the hydroelectric sector.

Others include the Beles Multipurpose Project, with an underground hydroelectric power plant — the largest in the country at the time of its inauguration — and the Gibe III dam on the Omo River, standing 250 meters high, which at the time of its opening was the highest RCC dam in the world.

Construction is currently underway for the Koysha Dam, the second largest hydroelectric project in Ethiopia after GERD, which will further contribute to the country's energy transition.

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Teraco completes JB4 Bredell Campus expansion in South Africa, adding 30MW critical IT power for hyperscale clients. (Image source: Teraco)

Teraco: A Digital Realty Company, Africa’s leading interconnection hub and vendor-neutral data centre provider, has announced the completion of its JB4 Bredell Campus expansion in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg

The expansion adds 30MW of IT power capacity, making JB4 the largest standalone data centre in Africa, supporting 50MW of critical IT load. This new phase comprises six data halls, featuring multiple design enhancements. Notably, each hall now accommodates 5MW of allocated critical IT power, a first for the African market. The halls are fully liquid-to-liquid cooling enabled, supporting high-density air-cooled cloud deployments and direct-to-chip cooling for AI workloads.

Designed with sustainability in mind, JB4 uses a closed-loop chilled water system that delivers free air cooling. AI-enabled technology adjusts data hall cooling in real time according to IT load and dispersion. This innovative setup achieves best-in-class Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), reducing energy consumption while eliminating water use during ongoing cooling—a crucial feature in a region with water scarcity challenges.

The JB4 expansion, built to hyperscale specifications, significantly boosts South Africa’s and sub-Saharan Africa’s data centre footprint. This follows the recent completion of Teraco’s JB5 Isando facility, which adds another 30MW of critical IT power at the Isando Campus.

Jan Hnizdo, Teraco CEO, commented, “South Africa has become the technology and data centre hub for sub-Saharan Africa, acting as a springboard for cloud, AI and content provision into Africa. Massive global investments in undersea cables, such as Equiano and 2Africa, further strengthen this position. This will enable global cloud providers to service not only the South African market but also the rest of the sub-Saharan African region.”

“Teraco is dedicated to expanding its capacity across key hubs, ensuring our clients have the flexibility to scale and fully leverage digital transformation across the region. We continue to make significant investments in ICT infrastructure and have established Africa’s largest data centre platform. We are proud to offer open-access interconnection and deliver world-class data centre solutions to all our clients,” added Hnizdo 

Situated in the heart of Ekurhuleni’s Aerotropolis, the JB4 facility provides access to numerous network service providers, regional IXPs, content delivery networks, cloud service on-ramps, and peering at NAPAfrica, the world’s eighth-largest internet exchange.

Teraco’s data centre platform now totals 189MW of critical power load across the Isando Campus (JB1/JB3/JB5: 70MW), Bredell Campus (JB2/JB4: 64MW), Cape Town Campus (CT1/CT2: 53MW), and Durban (DB1: 2MW). Local and global organisations increasingly rely on Teraco to scale IT infrastructure, deploy hybrid multi-cloud architectures, and connect with strategic business partners within the Platform Teraco ecosystem. The addition of JB4 strengthens this ecosystem, offering enterprises a secure, high-performance, and reliable platform for IT deployment, providing access to the broadest range of carriers and network service providers—a foundation for resilient and future-ready interconnection strategies.

Rheem Centurion supports energy-smart building technologies in line with regulatory requirements

Rheem Middle East, a global leader in HVAC and water-heating solutions, has introduced Rheem Centurion, a next-generation system designed to set new performance standards in heating and cooling across the MEA region.

Engineered for maximum efficiency, Rheem Centurion delivers up to 84% energy savings by recycling waste heat from air conditioning units to produce hot water while cooling indoor spaces at the same time. This dual functionality helps reduce energy costs, cut carbon emissions, and ensure reliable year-round performance for residential, commercial, and hospitality applications.

Tailored to the region’s climate and sustainability priorities, Rheem Centurion supports energy-smart building technologies in line with regulatory requirements and long-term green goals. As urbanisation, population growth, and large-scale developments accelerate across the MEA, the system offers developers and operators a future-proof solution that balances comfort with sustainability.

Versatility is central to its design. Rheem Centurion integrates seamlessly into a wide range of building types and can heat water up to 70°C, making it particularly suitable for high-demand facilities such as hotels, hospitals, resorts, and multi-family housing. Its advanced smart controller enables users to optimise efficiency through three operating modes—cooling, heating, or simultaneous use—while maintaining whisper-quiet operation to enhance indoor comfort.

By capturing and reusing otherwise wasted energy, Rheem Centurion not only supports cost savings but also delivers measurable environmental benefits, positioning it as a key innovation for sustainable infrastructure across the MEA region.

Brian Hempenstall, vice president and general manager at Rheem Middle East, said, “Rheem Centurion is more than a product launch; it represents a significant step forward for the built environment in this region. By combining air conditioning and hot water generation in a single, highly efficient system, we are helping developers, hoteliers, and homeowners meet today’s demands while preparing for tomorrow’s sustainability standards. At Rheem, our mission is to deliver comfort without compromise — comfort that is smarter, cleaner, and built for the future of the Middle East and Africa.”

Josiah Habwe, general manager for Tanzania and Uganda, energy business at Schneider Electric (Image source: Schneider Electric)

Tanzania is entering a new energy era, and an exciting one at that, writes Josiah Habwe, general manager for Tanzania and Uganda, energy business at Schneider Electric

With the full commissioning of the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP) in early 2025, Tanzania’s energy landscape is set to undergo a dramatic transformation.

The 2,115MW facility, situated on the Rufiji River, within the Selous Game Reserve, is one of the largest hydropower plants in sub-Saharan Africa and boosts the country’s installed capacity to over 4,000MW.

With all nine turbines operational, each generating 235MW, Tanzania has undoubtedly taken an all-important step towards energy self-sufficiency and grid reliability, and importantly, the delivery of affordable energy for both households and businesses.

The New Energy landscape

Before the JNHPP plant went live, Tanzania had — according to the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA) — a total installed capacity of 2,411.33MW, of which 2,372.96MW came from the national grid and 38.37MW from off-grid systems.

Now, with the addition of the JNHPP’s energy generation, Tanzania is creating opportunities to expand access, lower costs, and accelerate electrification. In fact, JNHPP allows the national utility, Tanesco (Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited) to reduce reliance on expensive, carbon-intensive diesel generation, improving voltage stability and reducing outages.

However, and this is important to note, off-grid systems like microgrids will remain critical in bridging the access gap, particularly for remote communities.

Integrating advanced, digital tools

Generation, like most countries across the world, is only one part of the energy equation. In order for Tanzania to truly harness this new capacity, its transmission and distribution must be up to the task.

Currently, the transmission network spans 7,524km of lines and 67 substations, while distribution networks extend across 188,266km, mostly operated by Tanesco.

It is here where digitisation can become an invaluable tool in optimising the country’s transmission and distribution networks. For one, Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) can provide utilities with real-time monitoring, automated outage management, and optimisation tools.

ADMS integrates SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, DMS (Distribution Management Systems) and OMS (Outage Management System) into a single platform and can help Tanzania’s utilities modernise operations, improve grid flexibility, and prepare for the integration of distributed energy resources (DERs).

Modernising a sustainable infrastructure

It is also important that Tanzania continues to strengthen its sustainability efforts and resultant steps toward net zero with greener energy infrastructure. Here, solutions like Schneider Electric’s AirSeT series SF6-free medium voltage switchgear along with automation and grid optimisation solutions, creates cleaner, more resilient power systems.

And coupled with microgrids, these technologies can enhance resilience for industries, data centres and essential services, while ensuring communities remain powered even in times of grid instability.

Community access to energy

Tanzania’s enhanced energy infrastructures should also extend to include human development. Initiatives like Schneider Electric’s Access to Energy Programmes support individual, domestic, and community electrification through solutions like Mobiya (individual solar lamps), Homaya (domestic systems), and Villaya (collective microgrids).

Mobiya Solar Lamps are:

Portable, affordable, and durable and provide clean lighting for individuals in off-grid settings.

Ideal for students, vendors, and mobile workers, they replace kerosene lamps and candles, reducing health risks and fire hazards.

Rechargeable via solar panels, they support night-time productivity, safety, and education.

Homaya Solar Home Systems:

Designed for rural households, Homaya systems combine solar panels, in-built batteries, and multiple lighting points.

They power basic appliances (fans, radios, TVs) and support both AC and DC loads, adapting to local energy needs.

Homaya enables energy independence, reducing reliance on unreliable or expensive grid extensions.

Villaya Microgrids:

Villaya solutions are pre-configured solar microgrids that serve entire communities, schools, clinics, or agricultural hubs.

They integrate smart monitoring, pre-payment systems, and load management, ensuring sustainability and accountability.

Villaya supports productive use of energy—from water pumping to refrigeration—boosting livelihoods and local economies.

Indeed, by coupling energy with education and entrepreneurship, these initiatives are helping underserved communities in Tanzania move towards greater social and economic inclusion.

Ultimately, Tanzania’s energy sector is making positive strides, with a clear trajectory towards greater capacity, reliability, and sustainable energy for all.

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