Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan agree to study filling of Nile dam
Officials from Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan early Wednesday announced progress in talks on what will be Africa's largest hydroelectric dam.
The foreign ministers of Egypt and Ethiopia and Sudan's water resources
minister said they will set up a scientific study group to consult on
the filling of Ethiopia's $5 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on
the Nile River. They also confirmed that leaders from the three nations
will meet every six months for consultations.
The latest talks came after a round of negotiations last week in Cairo
failed. More high-level talks are set for July 3 in Cairo.
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Egypt fears too much of the Nile's waters could be retained each year,
affecting its agriculture. Ethiopia maintains that the dam's
construction will not reduce Egypt's share of the water and that it will
help Ethiopia's development, pointing out that 60 million of its
citizens don't have access to electricity.
"We ha charted a road map that, if successful, will be able to break
difficulties that we have been facing," Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh
Shoukry told reporters after the marathon talks.
"One step forward to Ethiopia," the country's foreign affairs spokesman, Meles Alem, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The mega-dam is now more than 63 percent complete. Once complete it will
generate about 6,400 megawatts, more than doubling Ethiopia's current
production of 4,000 megawatts.
According to a document obtained by the AP, the scientific group will
discuss and develop "various scenarios related to the filling and
operation rules in accordance with the principle of equitable and
reasonable utilization of shared water resources while taking all
appropriate measures to prevent the causing of significant harm."
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