Ethiopia announces GERD project completion

(MENAFN) Ethiopia has declared that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a massive hydropower project on the Blue Nile, has been completed after years of construction and disputes involving Egypt and Sudan, as stated by reports. The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that the dam’s official inauguration is scheduled for September.

Work on the GERD began in 2011, with the aim of producing up to 5.15 gigawatts of electricity, positioning it as Africa’s largest hydroelectric facility. Ethiopia emphasizes the dam’s potential to transform energy availability across the region, but Egypt and Sudan continue to express concerns about how it might reduce water flow downstream.

In a statement posted on X, the Ethiopian government portrayed the GERD as “a symbol of regional cooperation and mutual benefit,” insisting that the project “is not a threat, but a shared opportunity.” Officials from Addis Ababa maintain that the electricity generated will serve not only Ethiopia but also neighboring countries.

The dam is situated on the Blue Nile, the main tributary of the Nile River, which supplies approximately 97% of Egypt’s freshwater, according to various reports. Both Egypt and Sudan worry that Ethiopia’s control over water release could significantly harm their agricultural sectors and water supplies.

In response to Ethiopia’s progress, Egypt submitted a formal complaint to the United Nations Security Council in September, accusing Ethiopia of breaching international laws and endangering regional peace by acting unilaterally in filling the dam’s reservoir for the fifth time. This followed an announcement from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed regarding the latest filling phase.

Despite ongoing disputes about water rights, Ethiopia has continued to advocate for a regional approach to Nile water management. In October, Prime Minister Abiy confirmed the adoption of the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA), which aims to create a permanent Nile River Basin Commission (NRBC) involving upstream nations. The agreement has been signed by countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Burundi, and South Sudan since 2012.

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