The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said in a brief post on the X platform: “This year marks the 13th anniversary of laying the foundation stone for the Renaissance Dam project (on April 2, 2011).”
She added, “With 95% completion (of the dam construction), our pioneering project is about to become a reality.”
Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan conducted several rounds of negotiations to reduce the gap between them regarding the disputes over the Renaissance Dam project, the last of which was in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, between December 17 and 19, 2023.
These rounds did not result in an agreement that satisfied all parties, as Egypt subsequently announced in a statement the end of the course of the Renaissance Dam negotiations, while Addis Ababa continued construction work and filling the dam, and is preparing this summer for the fifth annual filling.
Egypt and Sudan are committed to first reaching a binding agreement with Ethiopia regarding filling and operating the dam, especially in times of drought, to ensure the continued flow of their shares of the Nile River water. While Ethiopia says that the dam is necessary for development purposes, especially through generating electricity, and stresses that it “does not aim to harm any other party.”
On September 10, 2023, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the success of a fourth phase of filling the dam’s reservoir with water, which Cairo considered “a new violation by Addis Ababa and a burden on the negotiations.”
But Abiy Ahmed announced last February that filling the Renaissance Dam reservoir was no longer a priority for his country, which had retained enough water, and indicated that his government was open to dialogue and negotiation that would achieve mutual benefits.
The value of the Renaissance Dam project is estimated at about $4 billion, and it aims to build the largest dam to produce hydroelectric power in Africa, but it raises regional tensions, especially with Egypt, which was most affected by its construction, as it relies on the Nile River to provide about 97% of its irrigation and drinking water needs. It fears that the dam will affect its historical share of the river.
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