Ethiopia Starts Producing Electricity From Nile Dam

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which pushed Ethiopia into a longstanding dispute with Egypt and Sudan, started generating electricity on Sunday, according to officials.

Ethiopian government officials on Sunday, said a giant hydroelectric dam built on a Nile River tributary has started generating power.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed officiated an event which saw one of the 13 turbines of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) begin power generation.

“From now on, there will be nothing that will stop Ethiopia,” Abiy said.

At the same time, the lead engineer noted there was still work to be done.

“We just started generating power, but that doesn’t mean the project is completed,” the dam’s project manager, Kifle Horo said.

“It will take from two and half to three years to complete it,” Kifle added.

Furthermore, he stated that the current phase of the dam has been closely linked to sovereignty and justice in the development of the country.

“We have come to this day with the help of remedial measures taken based on the complexities of the construction process,” the chairman said.

The government has given top priority to the project and it has been successful in resolving the major problems facing the project, Abraham stated, adding that the studied and scientific solutions given to problems are the basis for its success.

Moreover, he elaborated that the dam will significantly contribute to meeting the growing energy demand of the country, which is growing at an annual rate of 13 percent.

The board chairman added that the project will alleviate the suffering of the people when completed.

The project has caused friction in Ethiopia’s bilateral relations with Egypt, which depends on the 6,695 kilometer-long (4,160 miles) Nile for most of its water supply.

The Nile is among the largest rivers in the world and supplies communities all along it with water and hydroelectric power. The drainage basin encompasses ten countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.