Construction of GERD Jumps over 84 Percent

Addis Ababa February 20/2022 /ENA/ The overall construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has exceeded 84 percent, GERD Manager Kifle Horo said.
The first turbine of the dam began generating 357 MW power today in the presence of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and other high level government officials.

Upon completion, the dam will have capacity to generate 15,760 GWh of energy a year with 13 turbines on average.

GERD Manager Kifle Horo said the success in generating power today after passing lots of challenges shows the invincibility of Ethiopia.   

According to him, the pace of the construction of the dam that has been slow since 2011 was re-invigorated after the new prime minister Abiy Ahmed came to power and set direction.

At present, the construction of the dam has jumped 84 percent and costed over 163 billion birr.

The manager called on all Ethiopians to redouble their support and help in finalizing the remaining construction of the GERD, which is the symbol of unity for Ethiopians.

GERD Management Board Chairman and Defense Minister, Abraham Belay said on his part that GERD is a project that has transformed the profession into power generation engineering.

Furthermore, he stated that the current phase of the dam has been closely linked to sovereignty  and justice in the development of the country.

"We have come to this day with the help of remedial measures taken based on the complexities of the construction process," the chairman said.

The government has given top priority to the project and it has been successful in resolving the major problems facing the project, Abraham stated, adding that the studied and scientific solutions given to problems are the basis for its success.

Moreover, he elaborated that the dam will significantly contribute to meeting the growing energy demand of the country, which is growing at an annual rate of 13 percent.

The board chairman added that the project will alleviate the suffering of the people when completed.