Ethiopia's Renaissance dam nearly completed: Officials

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
23 Mar 2023 18:59
2 Shares

The $4.2 billion project was launched in 2012 and is expected to be Africa's largest hydroelectric scheme in the continent's history.

The Ethiopian national flag is seen at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Guba, Ethiopia, February 19, 2022. (AFP Photo)

Ethiopia's Office of National Coordination for the Construction of the Dam said on Thursday that the construction of its 'Renaissance' dam is 90% complete, Ethiopian news agency Fana reported.

On the occasion of the 12th anniversary of the start of the dam's construction, the Office of National Coordination for the Construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam held a briefing to discuss recent developments in the dam's construction.

During the briefing, officials hailed Ethiopians' contributions to the project in terms of funding, expertise, and labor, Fana reported. They also thanked diplomats who defended the project from international criticism.

The $4.2 billion project was launched in 2012 and is expected to be Africa's largest hydroelectric scheme in the continent's history.

It has been the center of intense regional disputes with neighboring countries due to experts warning that the project will inevitably result in water shortages in both Egypt and Sudan.

Because of their reliance on Nile waters, Cairo and Khartoum see the project as a threat. The three countries have held several consultations but have never reached a mutual understanding.

In the summer of 2020, tensions reached a boiling point when Ethiopia began to fill the dam without having agreed to do so with Egypt and Sudan.

Ethiopia has already started generating electricity from the GERD in February 2022. The two operational turbines, out of a total of 13, can currently generate 750 megawatts of electricity.

In July 2021, Ethiopia finished the second stage of the reservoir filling, and in August 2022, the third stage was completed.

Earlier this month, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry accused Ethiopia of "continuing to fill and operate the Renaissance Dam without a binding agreement."

In the wake of Shoukry's statements, Ethiopia said it was dissatisfied with the Arab League's decision regarding the filling and operation of the Renaissance Dam, stressing that the Nile, including the dam, should be operated and used by the competent parties in Africa.

Addis Ababa underlined that it was committed to continuing to fill and operate the dam in accordance with the Declaration of Principles agreement reached in March 2015 and signed by Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan with full respect for the principle of the fair and reasonable use of transboundary waters.

"We should not remind the Arab League that the Nile River and all riparian countries are in Africa, and the League once again acts as a spokesperson for one country, ignoring the basic principles of international law," the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"Such attempts to politicize the issue of the Renaissance Dam do not enhance friendly relations, nor do they support efforts to reach amicable solutions, because they are not based on facts or upheld by law," Addis Ababa underlined.

Furthermore, Ethiopia underlined that the Arab League's description of the negotiations between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan regarding the Renaissance Dam was "incorrect", as "the African Union is facilitating tripartite negotiations to solve the remaining outstanding issues and was guided by the principles of the African solutions to African problems."