Ethiopia expects Nile dam to be ready to start operation in late 2020

(Reuters) – Ethiopia’s US$4 billion dam project on the River Nile, which has been beset by construction delays and criticism from Egypt, will start initial operations in December 2020, the water and energy minister said on Thursday.

The planned 6,000-megawatt Grand Renaissance Dam is the centerpiece of Ethiopia’s bid to become Africa’s biggest power exporter, but until this week progress had been unclear after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last August canceled a state-run conglomerate’s contract to build the turbines.

When Abiy canceled the contract of Ethiopian military conglomerate Metals and Engineering Corporation (METEC) in August, he said not a single turbine was operational more than 7 years after the government awarded the contract. Dozens of senior officials from METEC, including its head, have been arrested in a corruption crackdown launched by the reformist leader who took office last year.

State media reported on Wednesday that Water and Energy Minister Seleshi Bekele said on Thursday the project was on track to open in 2 years’ time.

“750 megawatts is the planned initial production with 2 turbines,” Seleshi told parliament. The government expected the dam to be fully operational by the end of 2022, he said.

The project has caused problems with Egypt, which fears the dam will restrict Nile River waters coming down from Ethiopia’s highlands, through the deserts of Sudan, to Egyptian fields and reservoirs.

Ethiopia disputes that and in November Abiy was quoted by Egyptian state media as saying he wanted to preserve Egypt’s Nile rights.