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Ethiopia to Inaugurate Nile Megadam on Sept. 9 With Egypt Warning Over Water Security

Cairo calls the project an existential threat, signaling legal action under international law.

Un drapeau éthiopien devant le Grand barrage de la Renaisance (GERD) à Guba, le 19 février 2022
Le Grand barrage de la Renaissance (GERD) à Guba, en Ethiopie, le 19 février 2022
Le Nil Bleu, en aval du Grand barrage de la Renaissance à Guba, en Éthiopie, le 20 février 2022
Le Grand barrage de la renaissance éthiopienne, alors en construction en 2022, peut produire plus de 5000 mégawatts d’électricité.

Overview

  • The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, begun in 2011, is set for a formal opening on September 9 after works costing about $5 billion near the Sudan border on the Blue Nile.
  • The 1.8‑kilometer‑long, 145‑meter‑high structure with a 74‑billion‑cubic‑meter reservoir has been operating since early July and is expected to roughly double Ethiopia’s electricity output.
  • Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed argues the project will drive regional development and says downstream reservoirs have not lost water because of the GERD.
  • Egypt, which relies on the Nile for about 97% of its water and reports a large supply gap, has intensified warnings, with President Abdel Fattah al‑Sissi vowing to use measures permitted under international law.
  • Sudan has joined Egypt in rejecting unilateral actions, past mediation attempts by the US, World Bank, Russia, UAE and African Union have failed, and experts judge a military clash unlikely as focus shifts to adaptation.