Ethiopian Nile dam 30% completed

Ethiopia’s government has completed around 30 per cent of the Renaissance Dam on the River Nile. Sources in the government say that the administrative and technical work at the site of the dam is almost ready for the second phase to begin with the construction of the main body of the structure.

It is estimated that the hydro-electric project will produce approximately 6,000 megawatts of electricity when it is commissioned in 2016. Ethiopia is expected to earn around €2 million a day by exporting electricity to neighbouring countries.

On the political front, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Addis Ababa has called on both Egypt and Sudan to activate the tripartite committee to implement the recommendations made by international experts to ensure that the construction of the dam will not damage the countries downstream.

“We accepted the experts’ report as it stands,” said Dina Mufti, a spokesman for the Ethiopian government. “Egypt should accept it as well and move forward.”