South Sudan Delegation Hails Ethiopian Dam as Beneficial

August 15, 2022

South Sudan Security advisor to President Salva Kirr says the Dam is a project that benefits all the riparian countries  

Temesgen Tiruneh, Chief of Ethiopia’s intelligence, greets Kong Tiptip Gatluak, who is security adviser to the president of South Sudan, on arrival at Bole International Airport (Photo: ENA)

Borkena

South Sudan High-Level Delegation on Monday visited the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project site in the Benishangul Gumuz region.

Kong Tiptip Gatluak, the Security advisor to President Salva Kiir, was greeted by Ethiopian Intelligence Chief, Temesgen Tiruneh, on arrival at Bole International Airport, leading a delegation. 

After visiting the dam with members of his delegation, he reportedly said “We have confirmed that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will not have a negative impact on the riparian countries.”  He added that the project is beneficial for all the Nile riparian countries. 

He sees GERD as a project that will connect neighboring countries through power supply. 

Ethiopian State media cited him as saying “After witnessing the GERD’s construction site, we found that the dam is a large project and can provide all neighboring countries with electricity….we have really seen a very big job.”

Abraham Belay, Ethiopia’s Defense Minister and Chairperson of Board , traveled to the project site along with the visiting South Sudanese Delegation. “The Construction of the Renaissance Dam is not just for Ethiopia but a development project for all Africans,” Dr. Abraham said. 

Ethiopian Intelligence top officials were also with the South Sudan delegation at the GERD project site. 

The South Sudanese delegation is in the country with an invitation from the government of Ethiopia and will have three days of working visit. 

Ethiopia announced this weekend that it has completed the third filling of the dam which means that the reservoir has now well over 18 billion cubic meters of water.  

The second turbine of the dam was inaugurated just a day before disclosure about the completion of the third filling over the weekend. It generates 375 megawatts of power. 

The overall project progress is said to have reached 83.3 percent and Ethiopia is aiming to complete it in the next two and half years.  

Water is flowing to the lower riparian countries, all year round, through two bottom outlets. It means that Sudan and Egypt are getting their shares of the Nile water. 

Over 85 percent of the Nile river originates from the Ethiopian highlands. 

When the mega dam, whose cost is now well over $ 5 billion, is completed, Ethiopia expects to generate over 6000 megawatt of power with the aim to provide the manufacturing sector with a reliable power supply and ending problems related to access to electricity for over 60 percent of its population.