This archive report was first published on 14 July 2020.
Published on July 14, 2020, Addis Ababa said the latest round of talks on the Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Ethiopia ended without a breakthrough.
The negotiations, led by African Union Chairman and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, aimed to determine whether Ethiopia could begin filling the dam without limiting water supplies in Sudan and Egypt.
However, Ethiopia's Minister for Water, Irrigation and Energy, Dr Seleshi Bekele, said there had been no breakthrough, blaming Sudan and Egypt for raising new demands.
“Unchanged stances and additional and excessive demands of Egypt and Sudan prohibited the conclusion of this round of negotiation by an agreement,” Dr Seleshi said in a statement.
GERD has a projected capacity of 6,000 megawatts of electricity upon completion and has been built at a cost of $4.5 billion. The project has been contentious over its filling and operation, with Sudan and Egypt demanding specified technical arrangements to ensure the volume of water downstream is not cut or reduced.
The talks will continue after the three countries and the mediators review the report of the first phase of negotiations.
