Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt are set to hold talks on the process to fill the controversial dam, an official has said.
Dr. Seleshi Bekele, Ethiopia’s Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy told local media on Wednesday that the discussion was set to be held early this months but postponed due to security problem in Sudan which did not even appoint a new Water minister.
“Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Aaty, recently presented a study conducted by his country regarding the filling process of the dam,” he said.
The study requires Ethiopia to fill the reservoir over seven years and start power generation after operational works are completed, Dr. Seleshi noted.
Ethiopia however plans to begin early power generation late next year when two of the turbines become operational.
He said Ethiopia also wrote a letter to Egypt in response to the study.
According to the revised plan, the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will be completed in 2023.
Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed said a few months ago said that finalizing the dam according to the timeline is a key priority of his government.
Gran Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is located in Benishangul Gumuz regional state, approximately 500 km North West of the capital Addis Ababa.
At the end of the works, it will be the largest dam in Africa with a total installed power of 6,450 MW.
MG/as/APA