Does the construction of dam projects as a tactic to counter the dominance of hegemonic powers in transboundary rivers lead to a. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam is the first major dam in the blue nile abay river of ethiopia. The renaissance dam is a grand hydropowered project being constructed on the blue nile, some 20 kilometers upstream the borders with sudan. The location of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd, now under construction near ethiopias border with sudan, is shown in red. Benefit of grand ethiopian renaissance dam project gerdp. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam formerly known as the millennium dam and. Ethiopia denies receiving funding from qatar to build. Dadsong aenvironmental change institute, university of oxford, uk. Analysis of energy and revenue losses dr mintwab bezabih1 and dr belachew tesfa2 1. Pdf continuous dispute between egypt and ethiopia concerning nile water and mega dams. A recent visit of saudi officials to the construction site of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd, near the blue nile river, has further ignited egypts grievances over the construction of. The horn of africa country began diverting the blue nile in may 20 to build the 6,000 mw. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd is an integral part of.
At the end of the final round of a fourmeeting series between egypt, sudan, and ethiopia on controversial grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd in addis ababa, the three countries failed to reach an agreement on the operating rules of the dam, announced. The site of the dam was identified when the us bureau of reclamation first made a survey of the blue nile river between 1956 to 1964. Estimation of the transboundary economic impacts of the grand. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd project is located 700 km northeast of the ethiopian capital of addis abeba, in the benishangul gumaz region, along the blue nile river. The great ethiopian renaissance dam bond an invitation.
The construction of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd in ethiopia poses new opportunities and uncertainties on agricultural production in. Updated facts grand ethiopian renaissance dam horn affairs. Egypt, sudan and ethiopia announced on tuesday that they have reached a consensus over the next steps of the establishment of ethiopia s controversial renaissance dam after 11 rounds of talks. The river nile and ethiopias grand renaissance dam. Egypt slams ethiopia for comments on renaissance dam. Ethiopia not compelled to notify egypt, sudan on the. Ethiopian officials claimed that egypt requested extending the filling period of the dam to 1221 years. International experts analyze impacts of ethiopian dam mit news. Mar 21, 2014 ethiopia is making progress on the construction of its grand renaissance dam project on the nile river. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam, a 6,500megawatt hydroelectric power plant being constructed in ethiopia, has been a major point of contention between egypt and its southern neighbors, as the completion of the dam poses serious threats to egypts dwindling water supply and food security. 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 on april 20. This dam is newly being built on the blue nile, a transboundary river, and.
Ethiopian renaissance dam reservoir in parallel with the construction of the dam. Ethiopias renaissance dam is making waves in egypt. Nov 24, 2017 the electricity which would be generated by the dam will help eradicate poverty and boost ethiopias developmental renaissance. To inform downstream countries, egypt and sudan, on any urgent circumstances that.
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. Ethiopia denies that the dam will have a negative impact on downstream water flows and contends. Construction of the dam is located in northwest ethiopia. Ethiopia is the source of headwaters for the blue nile and atbara. Grand ethiopian renaissance dam versus aswan high dam. Grand ethiopian renaissance dam construction ethiopia. 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 hydroelectric dam is being built on the nile northflowing river in africa, in the lowlands of ethiopia.
Sudan has more fears than hopes around the grand ethiopian renaissance dam. A general view of ethiopia s 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. Ena may 152020 ethiopia s plan to start filling the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd this rainy season is part of the scheduled construction without needing to notify sudan and egypt. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam, its impact on egyptian. Ethiopias renaissance dam is almost complete youtube. Addis abeba, september 182019 sileshi bekele phd, ethiopias minister of water, irrigation and electricity said ethiopia has rejected egypts latest proposal on the filling of multibillion dollar great ethiopian renaissance dam gerd. Ethiopian renaissance dam on abbay river commonly known as the blue nile was also launched on april 2, 2011 by prime minister meles zenawi and its construction is now underway. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd is expected to create a reservoir of 73 bcm billion cubic meter covering an area of 1883 km 2 stretching 246 km upstream. Free current affairs pdf download, free current affairs. Egypts water use efficiency is more than 85%, abdel aty tells parties in addis ababa. Implications for downstream riparian countries article pdf available in journal of water resources planning and management 1419. For thousands of years, the nile river has provided for the people living along its banks. Once the construction of the dam is complete in 2022 after a series of delays linked to political uncertainty and allegations of corruption in the militaryrun conglomerate that was the lead domestic contractor, it will be the largest dam. Gerd is a combination of 175 m high roller compacted concrete gravity dam and a 50 m high concrete faced rock fill saddle dam under construction by ethiopia.
As of the summer of 2017, the project is estimated to be 60% complete. Ethiopia to start storing water from grand renaissance dam middle east monitor sept 29, 2017 ethiopia will start storing water from the grand renaissance. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd or taihige. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd is located in the benishangulgumuz region of ethiopia, on the blue nile river. This book is about the grand ethiopian renaissance dam newly being built. Introduction 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. Cooperative filling approaches for the grand ethiopian.
Remote sensing of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam. It will be the largest hydropower project in africa. Ethiopia is building one of the largest dams in the world, the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd, on the river nile near the sudan border. When finished, the gerd will be the largest hydroelectric plant in africa. Full text of declaration of principles signed by egypt. 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.
Grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd, is located at which of the. With the largest area under cereal production in the nile basin, agricultural water withdrawal constitutes 97% of the total water withdrawal in the sudan. Hidase gidib, is a gravity dam on the blue nile river in ethiopia that has been under construction since 2011. Future of grand ethiopian renaissance dam after setback. Pdf an overview of aswan high dam and grand ethiopian renaissance dam. Grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd filling scenarios. Now and then, we see biased articles regarding the grand ethiopian renaissance dam. Structure of the presentation political geography of the nile the nile basin initiative nbi the nile basin cooperative framework agreement cfa the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd. Ethiopia powers on with controversial dam project cnn.
Al jazeera reports on ethiopias grand renaissance dam video. Ethiopias right to the dam lies in the cooperative framework agreement cfa, which was adopted by nile basin initiative member states, or all states that have some claim to the nile. The study uses the case of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd on the blue. Global food and water crises research programme download pdf. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam, or gerd, being built in ethiopia is causing worry in egypt, which already faces water and food scarcity challenges. Sep 18, 2019 the construction site of the multibillion dollar great ethiopian renaissance dam gerd. Development of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam council. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam is a major component of ethiopia s economic diversification plan. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd is an ambitiou s. Egypt, sudan, ethiopia fail again to reach agreement on renaissance dam. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam on the blue nile. 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. Gigantic nile dam prompts clash between egypt and ethiopia. Impact of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd and.
Revisiting hydrohegemony from a benefitsharing perspective. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd project is one of the largest hydroelectric dams in the world. The ethiopians are building a massive dam, and egypt is. Commenced in april 2011, the construction of the dam was a source. Jan 24, 2014 ethiopia is building one of the largest dams in the world, the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd, on the river nile near the sudan border. It also blamed egypt for the stagnation of gerd negotiations. 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. The blue nile river valley the site of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam is located approximately 700 km from addis ababa and 20 km from the sudanese border in the blue nile river valley. Mar 31, 2020 perhaps one exception is northeast africa region, where heightened tensions and diplomatic squabble is quietly playing out in the background following stalled negotiations between ethiopia, sudan and egypt over the filling and operation of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd. Dispute rumbles over the grand ethiopian renaissance dam geographical 12.
At the regional level, too, regional governments are taking various steps to bring about economic development. Updated facts grand ethiopian renaissance dam horn. Grand ethiopian renaissance dam project, benishangulgumuz. Perspectives of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd yohannes yihdego. 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. 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. Design of grand ethiopian renaissance rcc main dam. These effects include changes in surface water level, groundwater levels in shallow and deep aquifers, saltwater intrusion, and increases in soil salinity, which could affect crop yields. The 6,000megawatt grand ethiopian renaissance dam, shown here in may 2016, is scheduled to begin producing electricity in 2017. 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. The middle east monitor is a notforprofit policy research institute that provides research, information and analyses of primarily the palestineisrael conflict. This book is about the grand ethiopian renaissance dam newly being built on the blue nile, a transboundary river.
The grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd construction continues on the nile river. 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. Managing risks of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam on egypt. Built along the blue nile in ethiopia, the megaproject is viewed by egyptians as a major. Assessment of hydrological changes in the nile river due to the. Grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd free current affairs. Grand ethiopian renaissance dam dam project, ethiopia. Later renamed grand ethiopian hidase dam or grand ethiopian renaissance dam, by the council of ministers on april 20. It and several other large dams in ethiopia could turn the country. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam gets set to open. The border project which is known now as the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd is a hydropower project being built recently on the blue nile abbay river to generate 6,000 mwh of electricity by exploiting the rivers flow which has an average 1,541 m3s of annual water discharge. 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.
Owned and operated by the ethiopian electric power company, the 145mtall rollercompacted concrete gravity dam. The project is located approximately 500 km north west of the capital addis ababa, in the region of benishangul gumaz along the blue nile. Despite the obvious benefits in providing electricity for ethiopia, its construction has exposed fault lines in the rising powers diplomatic relations with regional rival egypt. Dams and reservoirs ethiopia began construction of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd on the blue nile river. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam is the first such dam attempted, though rescaled through subsequent assessments. Grand ethiopian renaissance dam analysis springerlink. The renaissance dam project has sparked a dispute over ethiopia s development needs, versus egypts concerns over water scarcity and climate change.
The waters of the blue nile have for millennia flowed down from the ethiopian highlands enriching the countries on its banks. All ethiopians and ethiopian origins who are committed and determined to the growth and development of their country ethiopia, those who would like to see an electrified and industrialized ethiopia and an interconnected and stable region through the 6000 mega watt power generated from the great ethiopian renaissance dam are invited to make their bond savings by transferring following the. Managing risks of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam on. Evaluating its sustainability standard and geopolitical significance. With some 8,500 laborers working around the clock on its construction, the imposinglynamed dam is surely one of africas most. Assessing the potential impacts of the grand ethiopian. The ethiopian electric power company eep is the employer, saliniimpregilo spa the epc contractor and studio pietrangeli srl the designer. Description for grand ethiopian renaissance dam ethiopia the grand ethiopian renaissance dam project is a majestic hydroelectric plant, which was born in the 60s from the imagination of giorgio pietrangeli, concerning a vast and farsighted plan to exploit the blue nile potential for hydroelectric purposes and improve management of this huge water resource.
Initially dubbed project x, on the 201011 annual plan document of the stateowned eepco ethiopia electric and power corporation. Talaqu yeityoppya hidase gidib, formerly known as the millennium dam and sometimes referred to as hidase dam amharic. The country started a dam project that will solve the countrys desperate electricity problem. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam, its impact on egyptian agriculture and the. Several studies have reported that the construction of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd could have severe effects on the water resources in downstream countries, especially egypt. Grand ethiopian renaissance dam international rivers. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd will become the largest dam and hydroelectric scheme in africa. Construction of the new naga hammadi barrage was completed in the spring of 2008.
This paper assesses impact of the renaissance dam on ethiopia. Ethiopia progress on grand renaissance dam project youtube. It is the largest dam in africa and ethiopia s flagship project. According to a government official, the dam has hit th opinion. Grand ethiopian renaissance dam ethiopia studio pietrangeli. Grand ethiopian renaissance dam archives horn affairs. Considerations in managing the fill rate of the grand ethiopian. Ethiopia began construction of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd on the blue nile river.
Pdf the grand ethiopian renaissance dam and ethiopias. An agreement on the guidelines and annual operation policies of the renaissance dam, which the owners can adjust from time to time. It is africas biggest dam project and will have lasting impacts on its longest river nile. Ethiopia has been criticizing old conventions that it said took. An opportunity for collaboration and shared benefits in the eastern nile basin an amicus brief to the riparian nations of ethiopia, sudan and egypt from the international, nonpartisan eastern nile working group convened at the massachusetts institute of technology on 14 november 2014. The grand ethiopian renaissance dam on the blue nile wossenu. Article information, pdf download for considerations in managing the fill rate of the. Egypt said it totally rejected ethiopia s announcement of filling the renaissance dam s reservoir in parallel with the construction of the dam, saying ethiopia violates the article no. Hydrological and environmental impacts of grand renaissance dam on the nile river pdf. 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.
When it is completed it will generate 6000 mega watts of electricity. Jun, 2019 the grand ethiopian renaissance dam is a major component of ethiopias economic diversification plan. It is difficult, if not impossible, and timewasting to respond to each instances of. The project is owned by ethiopian electric power corporation eepco. How efficient is the grand ethiopian renaissance dam. Al jazeera on ethiopias grand renaissance dam video. The reservoir will be half the size of the upstream lake tana. 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.
It was officiated as the grand ethiopian millennium dam on april 2, the projects inauguration ceremony. 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. Grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd the grand ethiopian renaissance dam gerd is africas biggest hydroelectric project and the 10 th largest in the world. At the end of the works, the grand ethiopian renaissance dam will be the largest dam in africa. 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. Article information, pdf download for considerations in managing the. Its called the grand renaissance dam and the clue is in the name. Au leadership absent from egypt and ethiopia dam dispute council on foreign relations 19. Grand ethiopian renaissance dam project salini impregilo.
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