Ethiopia: 99.99%
Ethiopia, the diverse, multi-ethnic Eastern African country that is home to more than 109 million people, is the 13th most populous country on earth and the most populous country in this list. Hydroelectric power consists of most of the electricity generation. In fact, Ethiopia generates so much electricity, it is 123% of its annual consumption needs, making it one of the few energy self-sufficient countries in Africa.
Ethiopia is known as the water tower of Africa due to its abundance of water resources and rivers, making the construction of dams efficient and convenient. It is home to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile River, near the border with Sudan. GERD is the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa, with a planned installed capacity of 5.15 gigawatts, which would be 2 and a half times of the capacity of the Hoover Dam. However, its construction has generated considerable controversy from Ethiopia’s neighbors Sudan and Egypt, which both needed to use the upstream water from the dam to fight against droughts, despite the lack of a multilateral agreement.
In addition to hydropower, Ethiopia also has great potential for geothermal energy. A 2023 paper from the journal Scientific African examines the energy generated from active Eastern African Rift in Ethiopia, reaching the conclusion that geothermal resources over there could generate over 10,000 megawatts of electricity. Some geothermal power plants in the region are already under construction, and they can generate up to 520 megawatts of electricity.