Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan agreed on the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dam to be executed step by step and in an adaptive and cooperative manner that takes into consideration the hydrological conditions of the Blue Nile and the potential impact of the filling on downstream reservoirs.
According to a joint stament they issued at the end of their final US mediated talks in Washington DC, the filling will take place during the wet season, generally from July to August, and will continue in September subject to certain conditions, according to a joint statement issued at the end of the meeting.
The initial filling stage of the dam will provide for the rapid achievement of a level of 595 meters above sea level and the early generation of electricity, while providing appropriate mitigation measures for Egypt and Sudan in case of severe droughts during this stage, the statement said.
The subsequent stages of filling will be done according to a mechanism to be agreed that determines release based upon the hydrological conditions of the Blue Nile and the level of the GERD that addresses the filling goals of Ethiopia and provides electricity generation and appropriate mitigation measures for Egypt and Sudan during prolonged periods of dry years, drought and prolonged drought.
During long term operation, the GERD will operate according to a mechanism that determines release based upon the hydrological conditions of the Blue Nile and the level of the GERD that provides electricity generation and appropriate mitigation measures for Egypt and Sudan during prolonged periods of dry years, drought and prolonged drought.
The meeting was held in Washington, D.C. on January 13-15, 2020 in the presence of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Water Resources of Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.
The US Secretary of the Treasury and the President of the World Bank participated as observers at the meeting that aims to resolve deference on the filling and operation of the dam.
The Addis Ababa talks witnessed Egypt’s new demand requiring Ethiopia to fill the dam within a period of 12-21 years even though Ethiopia plans to fill the dam from 4 –7 years depending on the inflow of Blue Nile into the dam and with all drought mitigation measures were taken in the considerations.
Egypt proposal stressed the natural flow on the Blue Nile River must not be compromised and obliges Ethiopia to compensate the cumulative deficit for the water it uses for dam filling.
Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), announced in 2011, is designed to be the centerpiece of the country’s bid to become Africa’s biggest power exporter, generating more than 6,000 megawatts.
Ethiopia, for its part, says the dam is crucial to its economic development and has denied that the talks between the three are stalled, accusing Egypt of trying to sidestep the process.
Ethiopia claims that GERD will have insignificant damage on down stream countries (Sudan and Egypt ) and has also previously rejected bringing in a mediator to resolve the dispute.
Following construction delays, Ethiopia has said GERD will start power production by the end of 2020 and be fully operational by 2022.
The dam has been at the center of a standoff between Egypt and Ethiopia, as the two nations disagree over the annual flow of water that should be guaranteed to Egypt and how to manage flows during droughts.
Egypt which gets around 90% of its fresh water from the Nile, considers the project as an existential threat.
It wants the GERD’s reservoir to release a higher volume of water than Ethiopia is willing to guarantee, among other disagreements.
Though nationalist, sometimes belligerent rhetoric between Egypt and Ethiopia cooled in recent years, the sides had remained deadlocked.
Critics say the filling of the dam could take more than ten years if the activity is to be done during only rainy seasons.
A report from International Crisis Group earlier last year warned that Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan could “blunder into a crisis if they do not strike a bargain before the GERD begins operation”.
MG/abj/APA