Ethiopia is planning to expand irrigated agriculture to help support its rapidly growing population and reduce its dependency on the import of sugar. The World Bank financed the Ethiopian Nile irrigation and drainage feasibility studies. The largest of the areas studied was in the Upper Beles river basin where water availability was substantially augmented by the completion, in May 2010, of the Tana Beles hydroelectric tunnel scheme which diverts water from the Tana basin. This paper focuses on the Upper Beles scheme and describes the creation of a digital elevation model from stereoscopic satellite imagery, the planning process used to delineate irrigation command areas (including irrigation and drainage layouts) and detailed engineering studies, including an assessment of the operating environment and challenges facing scheme operators. Social and environmental considerations were integrated in the proposed development, both in the planning process and in the identification of mitigation measures. The project team looked at irrigation schemes in Ethiopia and tried to build on successes to ensure informed recommendations were given in the feasibility study.