The data, published in April and analysed by AFP, found only China, Brazil, Venezuela, Russia, and Canada operate dams with a comparable or greater capacity.

In Africa, the GERD has dethroned the Kariba Dam which was commissioned in 1959 on the Zambezi River. It is the main source of hydropower for Zambia and Zimbabwe with a capacity of 2,130 MW.

Ethiopia's dam is expected to hold the African record for some time.

The other major project on the continent -- just starting construction -- is Inga III on the Congo River in Democratic Republic of Congo, which is set to have a power capacity of 4,800 MW, though the World Bank says it could potentially reach 11,000 MW depending the design approach.

At 170 metres, the GERD is also among the highest dams in Africa, behind the Gilgel Gibe III Dam (243 m) on Ethiopia's Omo River, inaugurated in 2016, the Katse Dam on the Malibamatso River in Lesotho (185 m).

The two largest hydroelectric dams in the world are located in China, which launched into the sector several decades ago to fuel its intense economic development and limit its dependence on coal.

The largest is the Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW, 185 m high), followed by the Baihetan Dam (16,000 MW, 289 m), both located on the Yangtze, China's longest river.