Ethiopia to Present Scientific Proposal on Filling GERD, Says Minister

   Addis Ababa September 18/2019 Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy has announced that Ethiopia will submit a scientific proposal to fill the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Briefing journalists yesterday, Water, Irrigation and Energy Minister Sileshi Bekele also said two turbines will go operational in December 2020.

It is to be recalled that the negotiations have not been convened after the meeting of the tripartite ministerial a year ago.

Ethiopian, Sudanese and Egyptian ministers held the recent meeting on September15 and 16, 2019 in Cairo, following the establishment of a Sudanese government.

Upon the convening of the meeting, however, Egypt came up with a new proposal about filling of the dam that it wanted to be discussed.

The Ethiopia side rejected the idea explaining that Egypt alone cannot bring a new proposal different from the previous one, Sileshi noted.

According to him, only water ministers of the three countries and the technical committee held discussion since the proposal of Egypt to hold a meeting of the tripartite foreign and water ministers was not accepted.

Sileshi indicated that Ethiopia also proposed that the meeting takes up with the agenda set a year ago.

However, some held the idea that the new proposal of Egypt be included in the agenda, the minister said, adding that “Ethiopia rejected the idea on the ground that Egypt’s proposal is not in alignment with the meeting underway and intent on passing decision on a dam of sovereign country.”

Egypt proposed that the dam be filled in 7 years and Ethiopia releases 40 billion cubic meter water annually, while the GERD only releases water when the water level of Aswan Dam reaches 165 meter above the ground.

Sileshi pointed out that Ethiopia will submit with a scientific and convincing proposal which also maintains the country’s national interest to the upcoming tripartite meeting.