Ethiopian Renaissance Dam begins generation of power
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), bitterly opposed by Sudan and Egypt, officially began generating power on Sunday.
The state-owned Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) said Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed officially cut the tape on Sunday for "partial power generation" from the controversial dam.
"The turbine which went operational has a capacity to generate 375 megawatt of power," ENA said.
The dam has been built on the Blue Nile in Guba, Benishangul Gumuz Regional State, it said.
Upon completion, GERD, which has 13 turbines, will generate 5,150 MW of power.
At the peak of the disagreement between Ethiopia on one side and Egypt and Sudan on the other, Sudan last June appealed to the UN Security Council to hold a special session to intervene in the dispute.
Sudan sent a letter to the Security Council "to review the impact on the safety and the security of millions of people who live on the banks of the Blue Nile and the main Nile in Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia".
Sudan said the unilateral filling of the Dam by Ethiopia "aggravates the conflict and poses a threat to regional and international peace and security".
Ethiopia has said the dam is essential for its development, while Egypt and Sudan have expressed "deep concern" about the construction saying they worry about access to vital water supplies from the Nile.
The dam is expected to secure access to electricity for the majority of Ethiopians, to foster economic development and to provide revenues from the sale of surplus electricity abroad.
Sudan fears the new dam will hinder the yield of its own dam – Roseires – situated within a short distance downstream.
Egypt too is worried about the potential impact of the new dam on its own Aswan High Dam, and that it will give Ethiopia control over the flow of the Nile and reduce the fresh water available for Egyptians.
-0- PANA MA 20Feb2022
