Ethiopian PM says mega dam project to be inaugurated in September

Photo taken on April 2, 2018, shows the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam construction site in Guba, Ethiopia. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

ADDIS ABABA, July 4 -- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile River is "now complete" and will be officially inaugurated in September.

"The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is now complete, and we are preparing for its official inauguration," Abiy told parliament on Thursday.

Noting that the GERD is a shared opportunity to downstream countries, the Ethiopian PM extended an invitation to the governments and peoples of Egypt, Sudan, and all Nile Basin nations to join Ethiopia in the inaugural celebration of the dam.

"Ethiopians remain committed to ensuring that our growth should not come at the expense of our Egyptian and Sudanese brothers and sisters. We believe in shared progress, shared energy, and shared water," Abiy said.

He said Ethiopia remains ready and willing to engage in constructive talks with downstream countries.

Upon completion, the GERD will have a total generating capacity of 5,150 megawatts and is expected to produce 15,760 GWh of electricity annually, according to Ethiopian Electric Power.

Construction of the GERD began in April 2011.

The project has been a longstanding source of tension between Ethiopia and downstream countries Sudan and Egypt. While Ethiopia views the dam as central to its development ambitions and pursuit of lower-middle-income status, Egypt and Sudan have voiced concerns over potential impacts on their water security.

Source: Xinhua