The government agency responsible for the Renaissance Dam project announced the completion of 90 percent of the construction of the Ethiopian dam, over which there are major disputes between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt.

Edited by | Alexander Yaxina

Africa section 

25 March 2023

   On the occasion of the 12th anniversary of establishing  the foundation stone of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the government-affiliated Fana website said, "The National Coordination Office for the Construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam briefed the media on the work done so far and the plans to be done in the future."

"The office was told in a statement that 90 percent of the construction work on the dam has been completed," the website said.

This announcement came hours after Egypt warned of the economic, social, and environmental dangers of unilateral movements on shared river basins.

On Friday, the Ethiopian government announced the completion of the third filling of the Renaissance Dam, with a volume of 22 billion cubic meters.

The Ethiopian government confirmed the opening of water through the middle corridor of the Renaissance Dam, announcing the completion of the third filling of the dam.

 Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Thursday, called on Egypt and Sudan for dialogue and negotiation, as they are the best solution to work in a way that benefits all parties regarding the file of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Ahmed said, during his speech on the occasion of operating the second turbine to produce electricity from the Renaissance Dam, that his country has made it clear more than once to the two downstream countries that his country does not intend to harm them.

Last February, the Ethiopian government announced the operation of the first turbine, with a production capacity of 375 megawatts of electricity.

Egypt and Sudan are still insisting on reaching a binding legal agreement, coinciding with the fall season in which Ethiopia begins filling the dam.

At the end of last month, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry expressed its total rejection of Ethiopia's continued filling of the Renaissance Dam without an agreement with Egypt and Sudan on filling and operating the dam, in a letter addressed by Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to the UN Security Council.

Egypt accuses Ethiopia of violating the initial agreement signed between the three countries in 2015 and prohibits any of them from taking unilateral measures in using the river water.

The dam, which is expected to be the largest project in Africa to generate electricity from water, has raised a regional dispute since Ethiopia launched the project in 2011.

The two downstream countries of Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan, fear the repercussions of the dam on their water security, while Addis Ababa stresses its importance for electricity generation and development.

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