By; Our Staff Writer
Addis Ababa (Ethiopia Today) September 10, 2023: Ethiopia’s premier disclosed it had completed the fourth phase of filling a reservoir for its planned massive hydroelectric power plant on the Blue Nile, a project that Egypt and Sudan have long opposed.
In a sign of a potential breakthrough in July, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Abiy agreed on plans to finalise an agreement between the three countries on the filling of the dam and the rules for its operation.
Construction of the 4 billion USD Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) began in 2011 and Ethiopia sees the project as crucial to powering its economic development. Egypt and Sudan, however, consider the project a serious threat to their vital water supplies.
“Congratulations to all on the fourth filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Our national perseverance against all odds has delivered,” Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office wrote on the social media platform X on Sunday. With a projected capacity of more than 6,000 megawatts, Ethiopia sees GERD as the centre piece of its bid to become Africa’s biggest power exporter.
The three countries have been in protracted negotiations over the project. In a sign of a potential breakthrough in July, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Abiy agreed on plans to finalise an agreement between the three countries on the filling of the dam and the rules for its operation.
