Immediately after turning on the digital switch to start the turbines in the first phase of the Great Resuscitation Hydropower Dam project, Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reassured the countries that Ethiopia did not want to harm the interests of other countries.
Ethiopias main concern is to bring light to 60% of the population in darkness, saving the labor of mothers carrying firewood on their backs for energy, Prime Minister Abiy stressed.
Prime Minister Abiy's government said the Dai Tuyen Hydropower Dam project is the key to Ethiopia's economic development. However, Egypt and Sudan depend on the waters of the Nile River and are concerned that the hydroelectric super dam will cause impacts.
Ethiopia, the second most populous country in Africa, has the second largest power deficit in Africa, with about two-thirds of its population of about 110 million people lacking access to the grid, according to the World Bank.
The Dai Vuon Hydropower Super Dam project is expected to cost 5 billion USD when completed and become the largest hydroelectric plant in Africa. This hydroelectric super dam is expected to generate 5,150 MW of electricity, part of which will be exported to neighboring countries.
So far, the Ethiopia government has invested more than 100 billion Birr Ethiopia ($1.98 billion) in the project, state broadcaster FANA said. This hydroelectric super dam is located in the Guba area in the Benishangul-Gumuz region.
