Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has announced that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a contentious multi-billion-dollar project on the Blue Nile, will be officially inaugurated “in the next six months.”
Speaking to parliament, Abiy emphasized that the inauguration will be a significant event, marking the beginning of the next Ethiopian year, which is expected around September.
The GERD, which has been a source of tension with downstream countries Egypt and Sudan, is seen by Ethiopia as crucial to its electrification efforts. The $4.2 billion project, located in the northwest of Ethiopia, approximately 30 kilometers from the Sudanese border, began generating electricity in February 2022.
Once fully operational, the dam, which is 1.8 kilometers long and 145 meters high, with a capacity of up to 74 billion cubic meters of water, is expected to produce more than 5,000 megawatts of power. This would make it Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam, more than doubling Ethiopia’s current electricity output.
However, Egypt and Sudan have expressed concerns over the dam’s operation without a tripartite agreement, fearing it could jeopardize their access to the Nile’s vital waters. Egypt, already facing severe water scarcity, relies on the Nile for 97% of its water needs, and views the dam as an existential threat. Sudan’s position has been more fluctuating, especially as the country grapples with ongoing civil conflict.
Ethiopia, on the other hand, maintains that the dam will not reduce the flow of water downstream. Despite multiple rounds of negotiations, no agreement has been reached between the three countries.
