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Construction of the dam, seen here in December 2019, began in 2011
Ethiopia has begun filling the reservoir behind the disputed Great Renaissance dam on the Nile River, a day after talks with Egypt and Sudan ended without an agreement, authorities say.
Ethiopian water minister Seleshi Bekele confirmed the latest satellite images showing the rising water level.
Ethiopia considers the hydroelectric project to be crucial for its economic growth.
But Egypt and Sudan, downstream, fear that the large dam will greatly reduce their access to water.
Years of tense negotiations have failed to reach consensus on how and when to fill the reservoir, and how much water should be released.
On Wednesday, Seleshi told Ethiopian state broadcaster EBC that the filling operation had begun, adding: “Construction of the dam and filling of water go hand in hand.”
His comments come after satellite images taken between June 27 and July 12 show a steady increase in the amount of water retained by the dam.
The images caused a wave of excitement in Ethiopia over the $ 4 billion (£ 3.2 billion) Ethiopian Renaissance Great Dam (Gerd) project, but caused concern in Egypt.
A large reservoir begins to form behind the dam.
July 12, 2020
June 26, 2020
When fully operational, the dam will become the largest hydroelectric plant in Africa, providing power to some 65 million Ethiopians, who currently lack a regular electricity supply. However, Egypt gets almost all of its water from the Nile and fears the dam will reduce supplies.
How will the dam be filled?
The minister’s announcement might give the impression that filling the dam will be like filling a toilet, and Ethiopia can turn the tap on and off at will.
But the truth is that the rainy season, which started in June and lasts until September, will fill the dam naturally.
Given the stage of construction, “there is nothing that can prevent the reservoir from filling to the lowest point of the dam,” said Dr. Kevin Wheeler, who has been following the Gerd project since BBC 2012.
Since the start of the process in 2011, the dam has been built around the Blue Nile as it continued to flow through the huge construction site.
Reuters
The largest hydroelectric project in Africa
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Construction startedon the Blue Nile in 2011
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The cost of $ 4 billionhas been fulfilled in part by citizens who buy bonds
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The generated powerwill transform the lives of millions of Ethiopians
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Egypt is concernedsince it depends almost entirely on the water of the Nile
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He sits down the riverfrom the dam and wants a guaranteed flow of water
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Talksso far we have not managed to reach agreement on some key issues
Source: Reuters / BBC
Builders could work on the vast structures on either side of the river without any problem. In between, during the dry season, the river was diverted through culverts, or pipes, to allow that section to be built.
The bottom of the center section is now complete and the river currently flows through bypass channels at the foot of the wall.
As the impact of the rainy season begins to be felt at the dam site, the amount of water that can pass through those channels will soon be less than the amount of water entering the area, meaning it will recede further and will increase lake that will sit behind the dam, said Dr. Wheeler.
Ethiopian authorities may close doors on some of the channels to increase the amount of water retained, but this may not be necessary, he added.
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How long will it take to fill?
In the first year, the Gerd will retain 4.9 billion cubic meters (bcm) of water, bringing it to the height of the lowest point on the dam wall, allowing Ethiopia to test the first set of turbines. On average, the total annual flow of the Blue Nile is 49bcm.
In the dry season, the lake will recede a bit, allowing the dam wall to be built and in the second year another 13.5bcm will be retained.
By then, the water level should have reached the second set of turbines, which means that the water flow can be managed more deliberately.
Explore the Nile with 360 video
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Join Alastair Leithead and his team, traveling in 2018 from the source of the Blue Nile to the sea, through Ethiopia and Sudan to Egypt.
Ethiopia says it will take five to seven years to fill the dam to its maximum flood season capacity of 74bcm. At that point, the lake to be created could stretch about 250 km (155 miles) upstream.
Between each subsequent flood season, the reservoir will decrease to 49.3bcm.
Egypt, which depends almost entirely on the Nile for its water needs, is concerned that a specific volume of water is not guaranteed in most years of filling.
And once the fill stage ends, Ethiopia is reluctant to be tied to a figure for how much water to release.
In normal or above-average rainy years, that shouldn’t be a problem, but Egypt is nervous about what could happen during a prolonged drought.
