Ethiopia launches Africa’s largest dam amid regional disputes
Ethiopia has launched the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which is claimed to be the largest hydroelectric facility in Africa, reported Reuters.
The development is likely to intensify existing tensions with Egypt, its downstream neighbour.
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The GERD, which has cost approximately $5bn, is situated on a tributary of the Nile and is viewed by Ethiopia as a vital element of its economic growth strategy.
With a total capacity of 5,150MW, the dam has now reached its full operational output, placing it among the largest hydroelectric projects worldwide.
At the inauguration event held in Guba, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed addressed an audience that included leaders from Somalia, Djibouti, and Kenya.
“To our (Sudanese and Egyptian) brothers; Ethiopia built the dam to prosper, to electrify the entire region and to change the history of Black people,” Ahmed remarked.
“It is absolutely not to harm its brothers,” he added.
Since the start of construction in 2011, the dam has been a contentious issue for Ethiopia’s neighbouring countries, according to the news agency.
Egypt, which depends significantly on the Nile for its water supply, has said that the GERD could restrict its access to water during drought conditions.
The Egyptian foreign ministry has communicated to the UN Security Council, claiming that the dam’s inauguration breaches international law.
Ethiopia contends that the reservoir created by the dam, which covers an area larger than Greater London, will ensure a consistent water supply for irrigation downstream, as well as reduce the risks of flooding and drought.
Ahmed highlighted that the dam will improve electricity access for nearly half of the country’s population, who lacked power as recently as 2022, while exporting the excess to the region.
As the GERD begins its operations, the geopolitical ramifications of this project remain a focal point of concern, particularly for Egypt, which views the dam as a potential threat to its water security.
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