Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced Thursday the completion of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a $4 billion hydroelectric project on the Blue Nile that has fueled more than a decade of tension with Egypt and Sudan.
Built in Ethiopia’s northern highlands, where most of the Nile’s water originates, the dam is Africa’s largest and a critical component of Ethiopia’s push to expand electricity access. Over 60% of the country lacks reliable power.
Egypt and Sudan view the project, which began construction in 2011, as a serious threat to their water security, fearing it could significantly reduce their annual shares of Nile River water.
In a statement marking the project’s completion, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said:. “To our neighbours downstream — Egypt and Sudan — our message is clear: the Renaissance Dam is not a threat, but a shared opportunity.”
The inauguration is planned for September, and Abiy said both Egypt and Sudan will be invited. “We believe in shared energy and shared water,” he added.
In response to the development, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said that Egypt “reserves the right to defend itself” against the impacts of GERD.
He disclosed that Egypt had shown considerable self-restraint in its negotiations with Ethiopia over the dam in recent years, but Ethiopia had refused to cooperate meaningfully in the talks.
“Egypt had utilised all peaceful and diplomatic tools to reach a legally binding deal over the filling and the operation of the dam,” Abdelatty said. “Nevertheless, the Ethiopian side had opted for a unilateral approach, rejecting to cooperate seriously or show flexibility in the negotiating process.”
Sudan has yet to issue an official statement on GERD, but Sudanese officials have repeatedly expressed concerns over Ethiopia’s unilateral actions regarding the dam.
