Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia announced that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile is now complete and set for official inauguration in September. The multibillion-dollar project has raised significant concerns among downstream nations, particularly Egypt and Sudan, regarding its potential impact on their water supplies.
During a parliamentary address on Thursday, Abiy sought to reassure these neighboring countries, stating, “To our neighbours downstream – Egypt and Sudan – our message is clear: the Renaissance Dam is not a threat, but a shared opportunity … The energy and development it will generate stand to uplift not just Ethiopia.”
The GERD, which began construction in 2011 with a budget of $4 billion, is hailed as Africa’s largest hydroelectric project, measuring 1.8 kilometers (approximately one mile) wide and towering 145 meters (475 feet) high. While Ethiopia views the dam as essential for its electrification ambitions, neighboring nations fear that its operations could undermine their access to the vital waters of the Nile.
Egypt, already confronting severe water shortages, perceives the dam as an existential threat, given that 97 percent of its water supply depends on the Nile. Despite several rounds of negotiations to reach a three-way agreement, progress has stalled.
Ethiopia first started generating electricity from the dam in February 2022, and the project, situated roughly 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Sudan border, has the capacity to store 74 billion cubic meters (2,590 cubic feet) of water and produce over 5,000 megawatts of power, which is more than double the country’s current output. Ethiopia, with a population of approximately 130 million, is Africa’s second most populous nation and has considerable domestic electricity needs, with estimates suggesting that about half its population lacks access to power, according to recent World Bank reports.
In a related development earlier this week, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Sudan’s leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan reiterated their opposition to any unilateral actions concerning the Blue Nile Basin. A spokesperson for Sisi indicated that both countries are dedicated to ensuring “water security” in the region.
In response to these tensions, Abiy expressed Ethiopia’s willingness to engage in constructive dialogue, emphasizing that the GERD project would “not come at the expense” of Egypt or Sudan. “We believe in shared progress, shared energy, and shared water,” he affirmed. “Prosperity for one should mean prosperity for all.”
