Ethiopian officials declared that Addis Ababa will begin testing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) for electricity generation, to determine if it can produce 6.450 megawatts of electricity upon completion.
Abraham added that Ethiopia is planning several programs to encourage people to donate to support GERD, especially with the 7th anniversary of building approaching, and with the dam being more than 64 percent completed.
He added that more than 50 percent of the energy produced from the dam will be sold to neighboring countries, adding that the Ethiopian government has listed the completion of the dam at the top of its priorities, and aims to sell its energy to the largest number of countries possible, from Morocco to Tanzania.
Ethiopia began constructing GERD in 2011. Upon completion, it is set to become the largest dam in Africa. The GERD cost $4.7 billion in total to build. Ethiopia plans to fill the reservoir with water to power what is expected to become the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa.
However, Egypt has been particularly critical of the dam’s construction, arguing that it will reduce its legitimate share of River Nile water access, and thus threaten its water security.
Several meetings have taken place between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia and in the end, Egypt and Sudan both announced their support for GERD, with both governments assuring their people that the dam would not affect their share of water.
