Cairo — Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) has accomplished 40 per cent of the building process, Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome said Friday, adding that the first phase will be complete next June producing 700 megawatts.
The tripartite committee and international consultancy office are not arbitrators, Teshome added in an interview with Sky News Arabia, referring to the expert committee formed by the three Nile Basin countries to provide an advisory opinion over the building process and the harms it might cause.
The committee, which is set to resort to international advisory companies, will produce a detailed study on the dam's effect on the flow of the Nile's water as well as the project's environmental, economic and social effects on Egypt and Sudan. It should conclude its report within six months, by March, and its results are to be binding for all.
The Renaissance Dam project serves the interests of both Egypt and Sudan more than Ethiopia, Teshome said, refuting the escalation of the situation into a war between Egypt and Ethiopia if talks collapse.
The conflict with Egypt should not affect Ethiopia's relations with the rest of the Arab countries, which Ehtiopia regards as "essential" partners in the development process, he added.
Ethiopia had delivered late September studies on the safety of the main dam as well as designs of the supplementary dam, which Egypt has not received before as part of the international committee of experts' work, state-run MENA agency quoted the ministry.
Ethiopian Water Minister Alemayehu Tegenu promised to deliver the rest of the studies during the committee's upcoming meeting, the ministry added.
Egypt's relationship with Ethiopia has been tense since the latter announced the start of the dam building process in May, 2013.
Egypt believes the dam would negatively affect its share of the Nile water. The hydroelectric dam is being built on the Blue Nile, which provides Egypt with 85 percent of its Nile water share.
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