Ethiopia Switches on Controversial Dam
By Tom Collins
Ethiopia generated its first electricity from the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on Sunday, putting further pressure on negotiations with downstream stakeholders Sudan and Egypt who claim the hydropower plant will threaten their water supply.
Prime minister Abiy Ahmed officially inaugurated the $4.2bn megaproject, situated on the Blue Nile River in western Ethiopia, which began producing power from a 375 MW turbine.
Photo courtesy of Water Alternatives Photos.
