Ethiopia, which built the dam largely with its own money, wants the reservoir full and generating the maximum electricity as soon as the dam is complete — scheduled now for 2023. With or without an agreement, the dam is an imminent reality, and people in both countries are preparing for what it may bring.
Why is Ethiopia building a dam?
The primary purpose of the dam is electricity production to relieve Ethiopia’s acute energy shortage and for electricity export to neighboring countries.
Who built Ethiopia dam?
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), formerly known as the Millennium Dam, is under construction in the Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia, on the Blue Nile River, which is located about 40km east of Sudan. The project is owned by Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO).
Has Ethiopian dam been filled?
The reservoir has a capacity of 74 billion cubic metres. Filling began last year, with Ethiopia announcing in July 2020 it had hit its target of 4.9 billion cubic metres—enough to test the dam’s first two turbines, an important milestone on the way towards actually producing energy.
How fast does Ethiopia want to fill the dam?
Ethiopia says it will take between five to seven years to fill up the dam to its maximum flood season capacity of 74bcm. At that point, the lake that will be created could stretch back some 250km (155 miles) upstream.
Is Ethiopia older than Egypt?
The fact is, the kingdom of Ethiopia is much younger than Egypt, Egypt is culturally younger than geographical Aethiopia but about the same age than Kush as a polity.
Which dam is biggest in Africa?
On completion the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will be the largest dam in Africa: 1,800m long, 155m high and with a total volume of 74,000 million m³. The dam has a 15000 cubic metre per second spillway and a rockfill saddle dam 5km long and 50 metres high.
How will Ethiopian dam affect Egypt?
For El Baradei, a favorable operating schedule for the dam is key to mitigating its environmental and economic impact on Egypt. … “If Ethiopia fills the reservoir between five and seven- year intervals, then Egypt’s water share of Egypt will be decreased by somewhere from 12 to 25 percent during the filling period.
What was the first dam in Ethiopia?
The first large hydropower plant in Ethiopia, the Tekeze dam, was out of production for most of its first year after commissioning because of drought. The distribution of dams over two different river basins reduces somewhat the risk of drought, which nevertheless remains substantial.
How big is Ethiopian dam project?
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is a 6,450 MW hydropower project nearing completion on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia, located about 30 km upstream of the border with Sudan. It will be the largest hydropower project in Africa.
What is the biggest dam in world?
Three Gorges Dam, China is the world’s largest hydroelectric facility. In 2012, the Three Gorges Dam in China took over the #1 spot of the largest hydroelectric dam (in electricity production), replacing the Itaipú hydroelectric power plant in Brazil and Paraguay.
Did Ethiopia start filling the GERD?
Recently, the tensions among Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile have escalated, particularly after Ethiopia announced that it had started filling the GERD’s reservoir, an action contrary to Egypt’s mandate that the dam not be filled without a legally binding …
Who owns the Nile River?
Egypt relies on the Nile for 90% of its water. It has historically asserted that having a stable flow of the Nile waters is a matter of survival in a country where water is scarce. A 1929 treaty (and a subsequent one in 1959) gave Egypt and Sudan rights to nearly all of the Nile waters.
Why filling Ethiopia’s mega dam riles Nile region?
Why is the dam so significant? … Egypt relies on the 4,000-mile-long river for as much as 97% of its supply, much of eastern Sudan’s population depends on it for survival, and Ethiopia is counting on a 6,000-megawatt hydropower plant on its new dam to boost the nation’s electricity supply by 150%.
How much of the Nile is in Ethiopia?
Spanning more than 4,200 miles, it is the longest river in the world. It has also become clear that the volume of water which flows through the Nile is relatively small—a mere two percent in volume of the Amazon’s and fifteen percent of the Mississippi—and mostly (86%) from Ethiopia.
How many dams Egypt has?
More dams on the Nile
Over the past 50 years, six Nile Basin countries have built 25 hydroelectric dams. As of 2019, four dams were under construction with four more being studied.