This archive report was first published on 20 September 2019.
Published on September 20, 2019, Ethiopia and Egypt are yet again embroiled in a dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a massive hydroelectric project on the Blue Nile River.
At the heart of the issue is the amount of water that should be released from the dam annually to maintain the Aswan High Dam in Egypt at a safe level. Ethiopia has rejected Egypt's proposal to release a minimum of 40 billion cubic meters of water, arguing that this would prolong the filling of the GERD.
According to Ethiopia, its own proposal to release only 35 billion cubic meters of water would allow the dam to be filled in two years, as planned. However, Egypt fears that the dam will restrict the already stretched supplies from the Nile, which it relies on for 90% of its freshwater.
Egypt's concerns are not unfounded, as the country risks losing over one million jobs and $1.8 billion in economic output annually, as well as electricity valued at $300 million if its concerns are not met.
The GERD is a gravity dam on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia that has been under construction since 2011. When completed, it will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa, with a capacity of 6.45 gigawatts.
