Ethiopia: Renaissance Grand Dam reservoir now full

General view of the Renaissance dam taken on December 26, 2019. EDUARDO SOTERAS / AFP

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3 min

Ethiopia announced this Monday, July 19, the end of the filling of its controversial large dam known as "Renaissance" (GERD).

This filling had started discreetly at the beginning of the month, despite warnings and concerns from Sudan and Egypt and despite the lack of agreement between the three large riparian countries on the exploitation of water from the Nile. .

But now the dam will be prepared for the first generation of electricity, Addis Ababa reported.

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Exceptional rains recently fell in the Ethiopian region of the sources of the Blue Nile.

Also, the filling of the huge Renaissance Dam was rapid, explained the Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Seleshi Bekele.

The reservoir has reached the overflow facilities and also passes through the lower valves wide open, he explained on Twitter.

Today, 19th July, 2021, the GERD reservoir reached overtopping water level.

Currently, the incoming flow passes through both bottom outlets and overtopping.

This year also we are experiencing extreme rainfall in the Abbay Basin (Blue Nile Basin).

As a result, the GERD reservoir pic.twitter.com/MGPeEyC1UF

- Dr Eng Seleshi Bekele (@seleshi_b_a) July 19, 2021

The next step will be the start of electricity generation " 

over the next few months

 ", he added, probably initially of 750 megawatts - about a fifth of national production - out of the 5 000 megawatts expected once the work is completed.

Ethiopia's objective has therefore been achieved despite tensions with its neighbors because, what has not been achieved is that Addis Ababa agrees beforehand with Khartoum and Cairo on the operation of the flow. of the river and the related legal rights.

Ethiopia is steadfast.

She wants to stay at the initiative of the Congolese presidency, which is struggling to set up a three-party summit to settle the issue under the aegis of the African Union alone.

But Sudan and Egypt want broader involvement, especially from the UN.

Read also: Renaissance Dam: in Kinshasa, the tripartite meeting ends without agreement

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• Ethiopia

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