The Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, said, on Thursday, that his country will bear due responsibility, as usual, regarding the concerns of neighboring countries, and protect its national interests when filling the Grand Renaissance Dam for the fourth time.
In answer to a question in a meeting with the House of Representatives, Ahmed said that the government takes into account the concerns of the neighboring countries, Egypt and Sudan, and said, “They are our brothers and neighbors,” according to what I quoted him. Ethiopian News Agency.
Ahmed pointed out that Ethiopia is working carefully to make sure there is enough water available for their needs while at the same time protecting its interests during the fourth filling.
He said, “Accordingly, this year the filling will be different from the previous three rounds by carrying out the filling in a way that alleviates the concerns of the residents of the neighborhood.”
He indicated that instead of completing the filling, in early August, as in previous rounds, it will take place at the beginning of September or the end of August.
He went on to ask, “Our next question is: How can we jointly implement new projects?” Then he added, “We are ready to talk to our brothers,” noting also that Ethiopia is proceeding in a responsible manner “so that neighboring countries understand that our only desire is development.”
The prime minister also expressed his gratitude to the workers on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) for their “serious efforts to achieve the set achievements.”
It is noteworthy that Egypt and Sudan have repeatedly asked Ethiopia to stop filling the reservoir of the Renaissance Dam, pending a tripartite agreement regarding the methods of operating the dam, as it is the largest in Africa.
At the end of the third phase of filling the dam, which was completed in August 2022, the reservoir contained 22 billion cubic meters of water out of 74 billion of its full capacity.
Two of the turbines are currently operating with a total capacity of 750 megawatts, out of the 13 planned which are supposed to eventually produce more than five thousand megawatts, making it possible to double the current electricity production in Ethiopia.
It is noteworthy that the Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister announced, at the end of last June, that Ethiopia is preparing to launch the fourth phase of filling the Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, despite the opposition of Egypt, which is concerned about its water supplies.
“The date of the fourth operation to fill the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is approaching… The first three operations did not harm the countries bordering the river,” then he added, “The other operations will not be different.” .
2023-07-07 00:50:15
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