Mega Damming of the Life giving waters of Ethiopia. This process is menacing the existence of the inhabitants of the region by drying the sources and lakes. The main reason advertised for damming is for production of Electricity and exporting energy. This could be done by small human level dams.The underlying reason is to the irrigation for the great land grabbing for cash crop exportation for financial speculators. Moreover, such mega projects leads to undue water crisis.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan sign new Grand Renaissance Dam agreement - Yahoo News
By Khalid Abdelaziz19 hours ago
A general view of Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam, as it undergoes construction, is seen during …
By Khalid Abdelaziz
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan signed an agreement on Tuesday finalizing the two firms tasked with carrying out studies on the potential impact of Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam on the flow of the Nile, their foreign and water ministers said.
The three countries had initially picked French firm BRL and Dutch firm Deltares in April but Deltares later withdrew leading them to replace it with French firm Artelia on Tuesday.
The leaders of the three countries signed a co-operation deal in Khartoum in March that paved the way for a joint approach to regional water supplies.
Cairo and Addis Ababa had previously been locked in a bitter war of words over Ethiopia's $4 billion project.
Tuesday's agreement came after talks between the foreign and water ministers of the three countries had to be extended for a third day.
Technical studies will start in February, when the six ministers are due to meet again, and will take between six and 15 months, Sudanese Water Resources, Irrigation, and Electricity Minister Moataz Mousa said.
The principles in the March agreement included giving priority to downstream countries for electricity generated by the dam, a mechanism for resolving conflicts, and providing compensation for damages.
Signatories also pledged to protect the interests of downstream countries when the dam's reservoir is filled.
Addis Ababa has long complained that Cairo was pressuring donor countries and international lenders to withhold funding from the 6,000 megawatt dam, which is being built by Italy's largest construction firm Salini Impregilo SpA.
Egypt, which relies almost exclusively on the Nile for farming, industry and domestic water use, has sought assurances the dam will not significantly cut its flow to its rapidly growing population.
Even before the impact studies have been started, officials say 50 percent of the dam's construction has been completed.
"We are satisfied with the results of this meeting and look forward to achieving a strategic partnership," said Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
Ethiopia, the source of the Blue Nile which joins the White Nile in Khartoum and runs on to Egypt, says the dam will not disrupt flow. It hopes the project will transform it into a power hub for the electricity-hungry region.
"We see the agreement over these companies as progress and look forward to actualizing the interests of the three countries. We believe the dam will be useful to the three countries," said Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom.
The Grand Renaissance Dam is the centerpiece of Ethiopia's bid to become Africa's biggest power exporter. Addis Ababa plans to spend some $12 billion on harnessing its rivers for hydro power production in the next two decades.
(Additional reporting by Omar Fahmy in Cairo; Writing by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Dominic Evans)
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan sign new Grand Renaissance Dam agreement | Reuters
KHARTOUM |
Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan signed an agreement on Tuesday finalizing the two firms tasked with carrying out studies on the potential impact of Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam on the flow of the Nile, their foreign and water ministers said.
The three countries had initially picked French firm BRL and Dutch firm Deltares in April but Deltares later withdrew leading them to replace it with French firm Artelia on Tuesday.
The leaders of the three countries signed a co-operation deal in Khartoum in March that paved the way for a joint approach to regional water supplies.
Cairo and Addis Ababa had previously been locked in a bitter war of words over Ethiopia's $4 billion project.
Tuesday's agreement came after talks between the foreign and water ministers of the three countries had to be extended for a third day.
Technical studies will start in February, when the six ministers are due to meet again, and will take between six and 15 months, Sudanese Water Resources, Irrigation, and Electricity Minister Moataz Mousa said.
The principles in the March agreement included giving priority to downstream countries for electricity generated by the dam, a mechanism for resolving conflicts, and providing compensation for damages.
Signatories also pledged to protect the interests of downstream countries when the dam's reservoir is filled.
Addis Ababa has long complained that Cairo was pressuring donor countries and international lenders to withhold funding from the 6,000 megawatt dam, which is being built by Italy's largest construction firm Salini Impregilo SpA.
Egypt, which relies almost exclusively on the Nile for farming, industry and domestic water use, has sought assurances the dam will not significantly cut its flow to its rapidly growing population.
Even before the impact studies have been started, officials say 50 percent of the dam's construction has been completed.
"We are satisfied with the results of this meeting and look forward to achieving a strategic partnership," said Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
Ethiopia, the source of the Blue Nile which joins the White Nile in Khartoum and runs on to Egypt, says the dam will not disrupt flow. It hopes the project will transform it into a power hub for the electricity-hungry region.
"We see the agreement over these companies as progress and look forward to actualizing the interests of the three countries. We believe the dam will be useful to the three countries," said Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom.
The Grand Renaissance Dam is the centerpiece of Ethiopia's bid to become Africa's biggest power exporter. Addis Ababa plans to spend some $12 billion on harnessing its rivers for hydro power production in the next two decades.
(Additional reporting by Omar Fahmy in Cairo; Writing by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing byDominic Evans)
Sunday, December 20, 2015
No Egyptian official will cede Egypt's water security, says FM Shoukry - Politics - Egypt - Ahram Online
While underlining the strategic nature of water resources to Egypt, Foreign Minister Shoukry added that the Nile River links Egypt and Ethiopia 'in the course of history and forever'
Ahram Online , Saturday 19 Dec 2015
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (Reuters)
"Any Egyptian citizen should be assured of the ability of Egypt and its negotiators to protect its water interests," Shoukry said.
Shoukry said that the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam issue is one that represents a major challenge for relations between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, as it impacts each country directly.
Shoukry's interview with Al-Ahram comes a few days after Egypt expressed hope that the three countries will reach a consensus in the upcoming round of talks, due to take place in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on 27-28 December.
Shoukry said that current negotiations have now reached an "important crossroads."
Shoukry added that the technical aspect of negotiations was stalled due to the failure of the two foreign consultancy firms, Dutch Deltares and French BRL, to work together, leading to a series of meetings between representatives of the three countries to try to agree on other consultancy firms to undertake studies related to the impact of the dam.
Shoukry said it was important to reaffirm the "Declaration of Principles" signed between the heads of the three countries in March 2015 and the timeframe agreed to ensure that after the technical studies are conducted the three countries would be able to agree on clear and strict regulations on the first filling of the dam and its operation to preserve the interests of all in accordance with the recommendations of the consultancy firms.
The Egyptian foreign minister said that it was important that everyone acknowledge the strategic nature of relations between the three countries, adding that Egypt is keen on avoiding any harm to any party.
"There is no doubt that there is a negative legacy in the Egyptian-Ethiopian relationship that is originally due to long years of disparity and indirect communication, and a reliance on negative impressions about one another at a time where the Nile actually connects the destiny of two countries in the course of history and forever," Shoukry said.
Egyptian-Ethiopian relations have witnessed decades of tumult, including under the ousted regime of Hosni Mubarak.
The Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam, scheduled to be completed in 2017, will be Africa's largest hydroelectric power plant with a storage capacity of 74 billion cubic metres of water.
Egypt has repeatedly expressed concerns that filling and operating the dam on the Blue Nile will negatively affect its water supply. Ethiopia in turn rejected these claims.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
UNESCO official reveals unpublished study on GERD’s negative effects - Daily News Egypt
e Chair in Water Resources at the Regional Office of UNESCO in Khartoum, Abdullah Abdel Salam, cited an unpublished study conducted by Ethiopian researchers that details the possible negative effects on downstream countries that will result from the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile.
The planned construction is part of a wider development project by the Ethiopian government to expand its hydroelectric power capacity, with projections estimating an augmentation of 5,000 MW of electricity to service the estimated 83% without electricity. However, conflict has arisen from a potential divergence from precedents set by previous trans-border water management agreements and the fear of enforced water scarcity in downstream countries: Egypt and Sudan.
In responding to this conflict, Abdel Salam asked leaders of the Eastern Nile Basin countries— Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia— to hold a summit to resolve the dispute while also calling for international mediation between the respective parties.
“A meeting of Ministers of Water Resources and Irrigations won’t succeed in reaching real solutions to this crisis”, said Abdel Salam.
“We welcome any Arab or International mediation because the issue is very serious, and the repercussions of the crisis is [sic] much more serious than we imagine”.
In the same press conference, Abdel Salam noted a study that confirms Ethiopia’s awareness of the possible averse impact the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam would cause Egypt and the High Aswan Dam. Abdel Salam pointed out that Ethiopia is planning to build several more dams to generate electricity, in addition to the Renaissance Dam, which will increase the risk of water scarcity to the downstream countries.
According to the Center for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE), Egypt’s share of the Blue Nile’s water supply has been an average of 55.5bn cubic metres per year for the past 50 years when Egypt’s population was less than 30 million. Abdel Salam cited population growth in the downstream countries and the increasing stress it would place on the trans-border infrastructure as legitimate concerns in opposition to Ethiopia’s hydroelectric project.
Abdel Salam suggested that an appeal should be made to recourse to an objective international study whose findings would be binding for all parties.
Beyond this appeal to an international study, there is a general concern that the conflict will become militarised. However, former Egyptian minister of water resources and irrigation, Mohamed Nasr El-Din Allam, emphasised that there is no possibility of the existence of a military option to resolve the crisis as Egypt is committed to finding a political solution.
Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hossam El-Moghazy is on a visit to Uganda, that began on Tuesday to discuss joint-cooperation projects, after the failure of the tripartite meeting between Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia.
This diplomatic visit aims to develop projects that recuperate Nile water lost to lakes, in an effort to offset some of the shortfall of water that may occur due to the Renaissance Dam. It also aims at the implementation of water projects within the Nile Basin countries in the South, which includes Uganda, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, and Kenya.
El-Moghazy said in press statements Monday that Egypt is committed to providing logistical assistance to the Nile Basin countries, including Uganda, while also implementing a project to protect the Kisasa province, located at the west of the country, from the effects of floods. The project’s cost is estimated to be $5.1m and will be implemented by the Arab Contractors Company for the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources of Uganda.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Sudanese water resources minister: We respect water agreements with Cairo | Egypt Independent
Sudanese Minister of Water Resources and Electricity Moataz Moussa said that his country respects and is committed to all international agreements and conventions governing the usage of Nile River including the 1959 Egyptian-Sudanese agreement.
In statements on the sidelines of a six-party meeting, currently taking place in Khartoum, Moussa said Sudan is keen on solving problems concerning the Nile River waters via dialogue and joint committees' meetings.
Meanwhile, Egypt demanded to modify the meeting's agenda in which a technical meeting on environmental and technical studies was delayed, well-informed Sudanese sources said.
The meeting was planned to be attended by French and Dutch consultancy offices which are conducting the studies.
The sources also pointed out at the Dutch office's report that said that Ethiopia and Sudan will benefit from the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and did not mention Egypt in the study.
A meeting on the Renaissance Dam between the foreign and irrigation ministers of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia kicked off Friday in Khartoum.
The six-party meeting tackles technical aspects of the deadlocked Renaissance Dam talks, along with Cairo's concerns about the accelerated construction rates, which are not comm
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Ethiopia Sees Nationwide Power Cuts While Drought Dries Dams - Bloomberg Business
Ethiopia may face further power shortages because of low water levels at dams after a poor rainy season, an official said, following two days of sporadic cuts caused by technical faults at hydropower plants.
Unspecified issues at a substation serving Oromia region’s Gibe 1 and 2 plants, which together can produce as much as 604 megawatts, and a shutdown at the 320-megawatt Tana Beles installation in Amhara state, caused the outages on Nov. 28-29, Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy spokesman Bezuneh Tolcha said Monday by phone.
The drought affecting the east of the country that’s left 8.2 million Ethiopians in need of food aid wasn’t related to the outages, though that may change in the coming months unless there’s non-seasonal rainfall, he said.
“There has been a shortage of rain all over country,” he said from the capital, Addis Ababa. “The dams have not collected as much water as they can collect.”
Growth in Ethiopia, Africa’s second-most populous nation and largest coffee producer, was 8.7 percent last year and may be 8.1 percent this fiscal year, according to the International Monetary Fund. The drought threatens to crimp economic expansion in a country where 39 percent of output stems from agriculture, about 90 percent of which relies on rain.
Water Shortages
The 300-megawatt capacity Tekeze Hydropower Project in the drought-affected Tigray region is producing only 10 megawatts, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn was cited as saying in an interview with The Reporter, an Addis Ababa-based newspaper, published on Nov. 28.
Two months after the end of the main rainy season, there are severe water shortages at the country’s oldest dam at Koka on the Awash River, which can generate 42 megawatts, and the 153-megawatt Melka Wakena on the Wabe Shabelle in east Oromia, Hailemariam said.
Over 94 percent of Ethiopia’s electricity was generated by hydropower in the last quarter of the fiscal year that ended July 7, and production increased 3.5 percent to 2,300 gigawatt hours compared with the year before, according to central bank data. The first two turbines from the 1,870-megawatt Gibe III plant have started producing power, Bezuneh said, without giving details.
The construction of Africa’s largest power station, the 6,000-megawatt Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, is scheduled for completion in mid-2017 and it may annually produce as much as 15,860 gigawatt-hours of electricity.
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