The reservoir, with a surface area of 1,680m 2 at full supply level fsl, will be formed in the middle section of the dam, between the left and right banks. Grand ethiopian renaissance dam project salini impregilo. Ethiopia has convinced egypt and sudan to sign a declaration of principles that approved dam construction under the condition that studies be done to assess the impact the project will have on. An overview since the downfall of dergue regime in. Renaissance dam located close to ethiopiasudan boarder will form the largest hydropower producing dam in africa with over 60,000 mcm of active reservoir storage. Why technical discussions are needed for the grand. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd project is one of the largest hydroelectric dams in the world. Ethiopias grand renaissance dam on the upper reaches of the. When it is completed it will generate 6000 mega watts of electricity. Construction of the dam is located in northwest ethiopia. Water struggles in the nile basin have recently intensified as egyptian nationalists denounce ethiopias building of the grand renaissance dam on the blue nile, the rivers largest tributary. Then, it shows how the gerdp will benefit east africa by filling the wide gab in electricity power shortage based on. This huge dam will flood 1,680 square kilometers of forest in northwest ethiopia, near the sudan border, and create a reservoir that is nearly twice as large as lake tana.
The middle east monitor is a notforprofit policy research institute that provides research, information and analyses of primarily the palestineisrael conflict. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd is a 6000 mw hydropower project on the blue nile, which the ethiopian government plans to build to fulfill the countrys energy needs. The successful completion of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam should be a momentous event not only for the country of ethiopia, but also for the african continent, since it. The thrilla in manila explained ali vs frazier 3 breakdown. Hidase gidib, is a gravity dam on the blue nile river in ethiopia that has been under construction since 2011. Located in the western part of the country, near the border with sudan, the dam was expected to be about 5,840 feet long and 475 feet.
The government of ethiopia is currently constructing the grand ethiopian renaissance dam. Once completed, the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd will be the largest dam in africa. Located about 20 miles from the sudan border, gerd is projected to produce 6,000 megawatts of electricity for both domestic use and for exportation. But hard negotiations on the grand ethiopian renaissance dam are only beginning. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam and the ethiopian diaspora. The dam will flood 1,680 square kilometers of forest in northwest ethiopia an area about four times the size of cairo, displace approximately 20,000 people in ethiopia, and create a reservoir that. Grand ethiopian renaissance dam dam project, ethiopia. Background in 2011, ethiopia began building the grand ethiopian renaissance dam project gerdp on the blue nile river in a place called guba, 60 kilometres from sudan, which hold 74 billion. Five years after ethiopia began construction of the renaissance dam on the river nile, downstream neighbors egypt and sudan worry about impact on the rivers water levels and potential harm to. There has long been a conflict over water rights among the riparian countries of the eastern nile basin egypt, sudan and ethiopia. Jun 08, 2016 the leaders of ethiopia, egypt and sudan have shown some commitment to sharing the waters of the nile. The project is located approximately 500 km north west of the capital addis ababa, in the region of benishangul gumaz along the blue nile. Though egypt, sudan and ethiopia said on tuesday they have reached a new consensus over the dam, the issue is still expected to be a. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam is being built along the nile in the benishangulgumuz region of ethiopia, about 15 km east of the border with sudan.
Downstream countries egypt and sudan have expressed concerns over the impacts of the dam on their water supply. It will generate more than 5250 megawatts of power. Benefit of grand ethiopian renaissance dam project gerdp. This dam is expected to generate 6,000 megawatts of hydroelectric. In 2011, the ethiopian government announced its plan to construct the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd on the blue nile. Pdf benefit of grand ethiopian renaissance dam project.
Grand ethiopian renaissance dam international rivers. The most important aspect of the new ethiopian internal scene is the cold conflict between ethiopian prime minister abiy ahmed and the military institutions and companies, which directly reflected on the construction of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam, where abiy ahmed declared at a press conference late august 2019 that the gerd might not. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd, formerly known as the millennium dam, is under construction in the benishangulgumuz region of ethiopia, on the blue nile river, which is located about 40km east of sudan. Due to open in 2017, the grand ethiopian renaissance dam will be africas largest hydroelectric power station.
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. Initially dubbed project x, on the 201011 annual plan document of the stateowned eepcoethiopia electric and power corporation. Concerns mount in egypt as ethiopias renaissance dam nears. Impacts of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam on downstream. Disputes over the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd. Ethiopia announced in april 2011 that it intends to build four large dams on the nile, including one of the largest in the world, the grand ethiopian renaissance dam formerly known as project x or the grand millennium dam. A general view of ethiopias grand renaissance dam, as it undergoes construction, is seen during a media tour along the river nile in benishangul gumuz region, guba woreda, in ethiopia march 31, 2015.
Development of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam. The dispute has escalated in recent years due to a shift in the balance of power and ethiopia s decision in 2011 to announce the construction of a major new dam, the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd, in the absence of any agreement with downstream egypt. Equally, its special importance emanates from the enormous symbolic value it holds. It is difficult, if not impossible, and timewasting to respond to each instances of. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd or taihige. Acknowledging the difficulty to get funding from foreign sources mainly due. Feb 27, 2018 five years after ethiopia began construction of the renaissance dam on the river nile, downstream neighbors egypt and sudan worry about impact on the rivers water levels and potential harm to.
Before discussing the benefits, the article will brief the general technical overview of the gerdp. Owned and operated by the ethiopian electric power company, the 145mtall rollercompacted concrete gravity dam. This article quantifies the major benefits of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam project for sudan and egypt based on gerdp technical design and quantitative analysis. A megadam with potentially megaconsequences and written by haydar yousif, selfdescribed as a sudanese hydrologist who has worked for 35 years on water issues on the nile 1 apparently, he is eng. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam and the ethiopian.
Egyptian protests, ethiopian dams, and the hydropolitics. Project manager semegnew bekele no longer wants to answer the question on whether ethiopia s most ambitious project will be completed. The dam will be a rollercompacted concrete rcc gravitytype, comprising of two power stations, three spillways and a saddle dam. To compare, ethiopia currently has the capacity to produce only 3,200 megawatts. This discourse is a significant point more for scholars of international law for three main reasons. The development of great ethiopian renaissance dam gerd is causing political escalation of tensions between ethiopia and egypt based on current issues and the expectations for requirements that must be met before the completion of the dam construction. International experts analyze impacts of ethiopian dam. Ethiopia may be one step closer to realizing its dream of finishing construction on the grand ethiopian renaissance dam. Managing risks of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam on egypt article pdf available in ain shams engineering journal 94 july 2017 with 1,922 reads how we measure reads.
Once complete, the dam will be the largest hydropower facility in africa about 6,000 mw nearly. Ethiopia began construction of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd on the blue nile river. According to a government official, the dam has hit th opinion. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam is under construction gravity dam on the blue nile river in ethiopia. But many development analysts believe that large dams are a poor match for reducing ethiopia s poverty. Dam, lies on the blue nile, known in ethiopia as abay river, about 40km east of the sudanese borderline. Talaqu yeityoppya hidase gidib, formerly known as the millennium dam and sometimes referred to as hidase dam amharic. Trt world and agencies it is not a question anymore its a reality. The successful completion of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam should be a momentous event not only for the country of ethiopia, but also for the african continent, since it would mark the. In 2011, ethiopia began building the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd on the blue nile river in a place called guba, 60 kilometres from sudan mainly for the electric power generation. Its uneven, often unpredictable distribution of water greatly impacts its efforts to address poverty.
An overview since the downfall of dergue regime in 1991, ethiopia has witnessed a. Sep 20, 2011 it was officiated as the grand ethiopian millennium dam on april 2, the projects inauguration ceremony. In 2011, ethiopia began constructing the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd on the blue nile in a place called guba, approximately 60 km from sudan and 750 km northwest of addis ababa. Dec 07, 2016 ethiopia has convinced egypt and sudan to sign a declaration of principles that approved dam construction under the condition that studies be done to assess the impact the project will have on. The reservoir of the dam will be twice as large as lake tana. For instance, ethiopias decision to construct a series of dams over the gilgel gibe river and the plan for the grand ethiopian renaissance dam is a manifestation of how desperate the country is for development. If we add the fact that the dam is estimated to be 300% oversized 3 its desirability makes even less sense. Assessment of the impact of the grand ethiopian renaissance. Why technical discussions are needed for the grand ethiopian. Ethiopias nile dam project signals its intention to.
Map showing the full extent of the nile with its two main branches, the white nile, which flows from lake victoria, and the larger blue nile, which originates in the highlands of ethiopia. As of the summer of 2017, the project is estimated to be 60% complete. Pages in category dams in ethiopia the following 11 pages are in this category, out of 11 total. The main objective seems rather to make water a commodity, as the dam is expected to allow ethiopia to export 200, 500 and 200 mw of. Managing risks of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam on. The location of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd, now under construction near ethiopias border with sudan, is shown in red. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam and the ethiopian diaspora by beyene, b. The impact of this enlarged dam on downstream riparian countries hasnt been studied.
It will be the largest hydropower project in africa. Managing risks of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam on egypt. The 6,000megawatt grand ethiopian renaissance dam, shown here in may 2016, is scheduled to begin producing electricity in 2017. The study includes simulation works for all possible scenarios from starting the dam construction up to reaching the full capacity of its reservoir to identify impacts of this dam on the ethiopia and the downstream countries. Jul 14, 2016 the site of ethiopia s grand renaissance dam. By years end, one of the worlds largest dams will begin filling up, affecting the fate of millions of people as it does so. This huge dam will flood 1,680 square kilometers of forest in northwest ethiopia, near the sudan border, and create a reservoir that is nearly twice as large. It was officiated as the grand ethiopian millennium dam on april 2, the projects inauguration ceremony later renamed grand ethiopian hidase dam or grand ethiopian renaissance dam, by the council of ministers. We hope this study opens up research gate to further long term studies.
The grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd construction continues on the nile river. The project, which was expected to be finalized in 2017, needed extra four years to be completed due to poor performance. Apr 22, 2015 map showing the full extent of the nile with its two main branches, the white nile, which flows from lake victoria, and the larger blue nile, which originates in the highlands of ethiopia. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam gets set to open. Jul 25, 2017 the government of ethiopia is currently constructing the grand ethiopian renaissance dam. Development of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam council. At the end of the works, the grand ethiopian renaissance dam will be the largest dam in africa. The dispute has escalated in recent years due to a shift in the balance of power and ethiopias decision in 2011 to announce the construction of a major new dam, the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd, in the absence of any agreement with.
The gerd reservoir will cover an area of 1874 km 2 at full supply level of 640 m above mean sea level, with total and active storage volumes of 74 bcm 5. Future of grand ethiopian renaissance dam after setback. Project manager semegnew bekele no longer wants to answer the question on whether ethiopias most ambitious project will be completed. Grand ethiopian renaissance dam project, benishangulgumuz. Mar 11, 2016 while egypt, ethiopia, and sudan are awaiting two studies being conducted by french firms brl and artelia on the dam s impacts, many experts predict that the dam will operate and start its first. Concerns mount in egypt as ethiopias renaissance dam. The main objective seems rather to make water a commodity, as the dam is expected to allow ethiopia to export 200, 500 and 200 mw of electric power to sudan, kenya and djibouti, respectively. Construction of grand ethiopian renaissance dam at 66%. Ethiopia is now diverting the river in preparation for construction, angering many egyptians, whose country is heavily dependent on the nile flow. Remote sensing of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam. The leaders of ethiopia, egypt and sudan have shown some commitment to sharing the waters of the nile. Updated facts grand ethiopian renaissance dam horn. Later renamed grand ethiopian hidase dam or grand ethiopian renaissance dam, by the council of ministers on april 20.
When finished, the gerd will be the largest hydroelectric plant in africa. An examination of the dams efficacy conducted by a panel of experts from ethiopia, sudan, and. Located in the western part of the country, near the border with sudan, the dam was expected to be about 5,840 feet long and 475 feet read more. International experts analyze impacts of ethiopian dam mit news. Now and then, we see biased articles regarding the grand ethiopian renaissance dam. It and several other large dams in ethiopia could turn the country. Updated facts grand ethiopian renaissance dam horn affairs. Finally, the conclusion section sums up the arguments of this article, and points out some implications of the findings. Ethiopias renaissance dam is making waves in egypt. The construction of the dam was made official 1 the ethiopian renaissance dam is the official name given to the new blue nile dam by the 66 regular session of the council. With its huge hydropower potential, ethiopia is thinking big. But many development analysts believe that large dams are a poor match for reducing ethiopias poverty.
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