Ethiopia completes Blue Nile mega-dam, plans September inauguration

ADDIS ABABA

Ethiopia has announced Thursday the completion of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a major hydroelectric project on the Blue Nile, with preparations now underway for its official inauguration in September.

Speaking during a regular session of parliament, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed confirmed that construction for the GERD is now finished, describing it as a “symbol of regional cooperation and mutual benefit.”

The announcement marks a historic milestone in Ethiopia’s decade-long effort to harness the Nile River for domestic power generation and regional energy distribution. Once operational, the GERD is expected to produce over 6,000 megawatts of electricity, making it Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam.

In a direct message to downstream neighbors Egypt and Sudan, who have raised concerns over the dam’s impact on water flow, Abiy stressed that the project poses no threat.

“To our neighbors downstream—Egypt and Sudan—our message is clear: the Renaissance Dam is not a threat, but a shared opportunity,” he said, adding that “Egypt’s Aswan Dam has never lost a single liter of water due to the GERD.”

The premier reaffirmed Ethiopia’s stance on equitable water use and regional cooperation and extended an invitation to the governments and peoples of Egypt, Sudan, and other Nile Basin countries to join Ethiopia in marking the dam’s completion.

Construction on the GERD began in 2011, with Ethiopia self-financing most of the $4.2 billion project. Over the years, it has become a point of diplomatic tension, particularly between Ethiopia and Egypt, which fears reduced water flows could affect its share of the Nile.

Despite several rounds of negotiations under the African Union and international mediation, the three countries have yet to reach a legally binding agreement on long-term water management.