Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan make progress with Africa's largest hydropower project
The fourth round of trilateral talks between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan over Africa's largest hydropower project the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) resumed in the capital of Ethiopia Addis Ababa.
The negotiations to finalise the guidelines and rules on the first filling and annual operation of the GERD began on December 18 following statements by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el Sisi of Egypt on July 13, 2023, Ethiopian Ambassador Seleshi Bekele announced on social media.
“The Ministerial meeting will build on the discussions of the previous sessions and technical group meeting of yesterday and continue efforts to achieve convergence,” said the Ambassador.
“Ethiopia is guided by the 2015 Declaration of Principles (DoP) on the GERD project. In particular, Ethiopia will continue to advocate for consensual outcomes based on the principle of equitable and reasonable utilisation of the waters of the Nile,” he added.
The GERD is a $4.2 billion hydroelectric project commissioned in 2011 on Ethiopia's Blue Nile, situated approximately 30 km upstream of the Sudanese border.
Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia signed a declaration of principles in March 2015, which would form the framework for talks between the three nations about the GERD's filling and operation.
