Name of the Project
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Location
The GERD is located on the Abay river, in the Beneshangul Gumuz region of Ethiopia.

Client
Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo).

Project Description
The project envisages a plant with an installed capacity of 6 000 MW that will supply 15 692 GWh/y.

The major components of the project include:
• a 145-m-high, roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dam with a 1 780-m-long crest;
• a rock-filled saddle dam, 4 800 m long and 45 m high, with 24 upstream bituminous facing;
• two outdoor powerhouses of 3 750 MW and 2 250 MW installed capacity, containing ten and six generating units respectively, each with a capacity of 375 MW; and
• a 500 kV switchyard, which will transmit power from the two powerhouses to the grid.

The main dam and saddle dam will create 74-billion cubic metres of impounding capacity, with a surface area of 1 680 km2 at full capacity.

A gated spillway, equipped with six radial gates and with a discharge capacity of 14 700 m3/s at probable maximum flood occurrence, will be located on the left side of the main dam.

A saddle dam on the left side of the RCC dam, with an emergency side spillway, is envisaged to allow for flood water discharged directly into the Roseires reservoir.

The construction of 123 km of access roads, as well as camps, workshops and other civil works, form part of the activities for the project.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Value
The project is valued at an estimated $4.8-billion.

Duration
The project is expected to take 78 months.

Latest Developments
Negotiations on how to conduct technical studies of the dam’s potential impact on the downstream countries – Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia – have broken down. Egypt and Ethiopia have reached a deadlock in further studies on the effects of the GERD on downstream countries, Egyptian Al Ahram newspaper has reported.

The Egyptian foreign minister has noted a “strained technical path related to preparing studies on the effect of the dam on downstream countries, as well as ways to avoid them”, and has outlined Cairo’s dependence on the Nile as its sole source of water.

Ethiopia wants to be able to export electricity generated by the dam, which will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa. However, while Egyptian President Abdel-Fatteh El Sisi has said he understands the developmental goals behind GERD, he is concerned that the dam will affect Egypt’s share of Nile water, which the Egyptians describe as “a matter of life and death for the nation”.

Addis Ababa disputes this, saying that the dam will not have any negative impact on Egypt or Sudan.

Almost all of Egypt’s 96-million-plus people live within several kilometres of the Nile and Egyptian farmers depend on the river in a country with very little rainfall.

Disputes over the Nile water resources have been a source of tension between Cairo and its neighbours over the years, with earlier predictions warning of an insufficient water supply by 2017.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Salini Costruttori, a subsidiary of Salini Impregilo (construction contract) and Alstom (turbine and generators).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
EEPCo, tel +251 11 1 55 95 67, fax +251 11 1 57 1860 or email eepcocommunication@yahoo.com.