Ethiopian Renaissance Dam causes 1-month delay of Nile water arrival to Egypt

CAIRO – 16 September 2024: Geologist Abbas Sharaky indicated Sunday on his Facebook account that Ethiopia caused a one-month delay in the arrival of the water to Egypt's High Dam in order to carry out the fifth filling of the Renaissance Dam and that amounted to 19 billion cubic meters.

The water was supposed to arrive to Egypt by the end of July but it arrived by the end of August. That is because the filling took place over the months of July and August by closing the floodgates so that the reservoir now contains 60.5 billion cubic meters at a height of 638.25 meters.

Since September 5, the two upper floodgates have been open in tandem with the non-operation of the four turbines installed. The flow of the water into and from the dam has been stable at 400 million cubic meters daily.

The fifth filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) began on July 17 so as Sharaqy estimated that it would conclude in the first week of September. At the time, only two turbines were installed.

The expert pointed out that six billion cubic meters had been released to heighten up the middle wall to 640 meters, and then refilled. As such, the reservoir was ready to hold 64 billion meters up from 41 billion cubic meters.

Extra quantities would flow above the middle wall and through the saddle dam. In July, the water flow into the dam was 300 million cubic meters per day, and was estimated to gradually rise to an average of 600 million cubic meters per day in August.

Sharaky had given in June an overview of the past four fillings, and that used to start early in July – of each year starting 2020 - in tandem with the start of the rain season.

In the first, the height of the wall was 565 meters and the quantity was around five billion cubic meters. In the second, the height was 576 meters and the quantity was three billion cubic meters. In the third, the height was 600 meters and the quantity was nine billion cubic meters. In the fourth, the height was less than 625 meters and the quantity was 24 billion cubic meters.

Ahead of the fifth filling, the geologist pointed out on his Facebook account that it would be pointless to make the reservoir that full if the remaining 11 turbines were not installed as either way the water would be released. That is because the large amount of reserved water would only put a strain on the body of both the main and saddle dams without generating the planned quantity of electricity.

The expert also noted a difference this year as the water exceeding the reservoir's capacity would no longer just pass above the middle wall because it will be heightened giving for the first time full control of the filling process.

Constructions in the Grand Renaissance Dam started on April 2, 2011 at a cost of $4.8 billion. It was built by the Italian construction and engineering company Salini Impergilo. The dam is located on the Blue Nile with a planned reservoir capacity of 74 billion cubic meters, and was expected to generate up to 6,000 megawatts of power.

However, it is estimated to generate only 3,000 megawatts, as the number of turbines to be installed has been reduced to 13 turbines down from 16. On the other hand, Egypt has been warning of the unilateral acts of Ethiopia for their harmful impact on its annual water share of 55.5 billion cubic meters, especially during drought and extended drought, urging a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam.