Despite protests from Egypt and Sudan, Addis Ababa has called the project a shared opportunity

Ethiopia has announced the completion of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a multibillion-dollar hydropower project on the Blue Nile that has been the focus of a decade-long dispute with Egypt and Sudan. The dam will be formally inaugurated in September, the Office of the Prime Minister said in a statement.

Under construction since 2011, the GERD is designed to generate up to 5.15 gigawatts of electricity, making it the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa. While Ethiopia presents the project as a transformative energy source for the region, Egypt and Sudan have repeatedly raised concerns over its impact on downstream water flows.

In a message shared on X, the Ethiopian government described the GERD as "a symbol of regional cooperation and mutual benefit," insisting that the project "is not a threat, but a shared opportunity." Officials in Addis Ababa argue that the dam's power generation will benefit not just Ethiopia but neighboring states as well.

The dam is built on the Blue Nile - the Nile's main tributary. The Nile provides about 97% of Egypt's freshwater supply, according to various sources. Both Cairo and Khartoum fear that upstream water retention could severely affect agriculture and water security in their countries.

In September, the Egyptian government filed a complaint with the UN Security Council, accusing Ethiopia of violating international law and threatening regional stability with its alleged unilateral actions regarding the GERD project. The move came after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the fifth phase of filling the dam.

Amid ongoing disagreement over water rights, Ethiopia has pushed forward with a regional water governance framework. In October, Prime Minister Abiy confirmed the implementation of the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA), a treaty designed to establish a permanent Nile River Basin Commission (NRBC) among upstream nations. The treaty has been signed by upstream countries including Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Burundi, with South Sudan joining in 2012.

While the treaty moved closer to activation after South Sudan's parliament ratified it in July, Egypt and Sudan have rejected the accord. Both governments called it an "incomplete" document that is not "representative of the Nile Basin as a whole."

Egypt has warned that even a modest reduction of just 2% in its Nile water supply could lead to the loss of around 200,000 acres of farmland, posing a serious threat to national food security. Sudan has voiced similar fears, citing the river's vital role in its agriculture sector.

(RT.com)