Addis Ababa, March 31, 2024 (FBC) – The completion of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam without causing harm to the riparian countries manifests Ethiopia’s strong commitment to its principle of not causing significant harm on all parties, Kings of Abbay Media President Ustath Jemal Beshir said.
Ethiopians from all walks of life have contributed to the construction of the dam, which is expected to be fully completed within 7 months, with their own resources to get rid of poverty and ensure mutual benefit with neighboring countries.
Ustath Jemal said Ethiopia has been committed to fair utilization of Abbay River, especially with neighboring countries, and provide access to electricity to Ethiopians, per ENA.
“Ethiopia has now completed the dam without causing any harm to the riparian countries. That means they understand now Ethiopia has no agenda other than ensuring prosperity and getting energy from the dam,” he added.
The completion of the dam will help all countries near and afar as they could get cheap electric power from Ethiopia.
Power sharing with Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti is already in operation and additional power selling to neighboring countries with Tanzania has been on pipeline.
The president further noted that Ethiopia didn’t use Abbay for centuries and the riparian countries unfortunately think that the river belongs to them.
Now, Ethiopians have started to use their resources for development by sharing them, and this should be appreciated, Ustath Jemal noted.
According to him, the riparian countries need to cooperate with Ethiopia to work and develop together.
Upon going fully operational, GERD will have an installed capacity of generating 5,150 MW, making it the largest hydropower project in Africa with the amount of electricity it generates.
The dam will provide regulated flow which will help the downstream countries to better manage their respective reservoirs in addition to reducing negative impacts of climate change.
Experts point out that the dam will capture 90 percent of the sediment protecting irrigation canals and equipment from damages caused by sedimentation.