Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Latest News

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister recently said the multi-billion-dollar Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile that has long worried neighbouring countries is complete and will be officially inaugurated in September.

About Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

• The GERD, formerly known as the Millennium Dam, is situated in the Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia, near the border with Sudan.
• It is located on the Blue Nile, one of the main tributaries of the Nile River.
• Capacity: At 6.45 Gigawatts, it is the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa.
• Construction Started: April 2011
• The project is owned by Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO).
• Dispute: Egypt and Sudan fear the massive $4.2bn GERD will severely reduce the share of Nile water they receive and have repeatedly asked Ethiopia to stop filling it until they have all reached agreement on how it should work.

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Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Features

• It is a roller-compacted concrete (RCC) gravity-type dam comprising two power stations, three spillways, and a saddle dam.
• The main dam is 145 m high and 1,780 m long.
• The dam forms a reservoir covering 1,875 sq.km, which can hold up to 74 billion cubic metres of water. The GERD reservoir is in a deep gorge, so its surface area is relatively small compared to its volume.
• The saddle dam supporting the main dam is 4,800 m long and 45 m high. It has an emergency side spillway to discharge water directly into the reservoir.
• The powerhouses include 16 generating units of 375 MW each.

Source: NDTV