Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
Encyclopedia
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam ( Amharic: ህዳሴ ግድብ, Hidāse Gēdīb), formerly known as the Millennium Dam and sometimes referred to as Hidase Dam, is an under construction gravity dam on the Blue Nile River about 40 km (25 mi) east of Sudan
in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia
. At 5250 MW, the dam will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa when completed, as well as the tenth largest in the world. The reservoir at 63 billion cubic meters will be one of the continent's largest.
. A rock crushing plant has been constructed along with a small air strip for fast transportation. Construction is expected to last 44 months when two generators would be operational. Egypt, which lies downstream, opposes the dam which it believes will reduce the amount of water that it gets from the Nile. Zenawi argues, based on an unnamed study, that the dam would not reduce water availability downstream and would also regulate water for irrigation. In May 2011, it was announced that Ethiopia would share blueprints for the dam with Egypt so the downstream impact could be examined.
The dam was originally called "Project X" and after its contract was announced, it was called the Millennium Dam. On 15 April 2011, the Council of Ministers renamed it Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
and will have two power house
s, each on either side of the spillway. The right power house will contain ten 350 MW Francis turbine
-generators while the left will contain five. Supporting the dam and reservoir will be a 5 km (3 mi) long and 50 m (164 ft) high saddle dam. The dam's reservoir will have a volume of 63000000000 cubic metre.
company Salini Costruttori, which also served as primary contractor for the Gilgel Gibe II
, Gilgel Gibe II, and Tana Beles
dams. It is expected to consume 100 million quintals of concrete , the government has pledged to use only domestically produced concrete.
and Sudan’s capital Khartoum
, both located more than 400km away from the dam. These sales would come on top of electricity that is expected to be sold from other large hydropower plants that are under construction in Ethiopia, such as Gilgel Gibe III.
The plant load factor of the planned hydropwer plant - the expected electricity production divided by the potential production if the power plant was utilized permanently at full capacity - is only 33% compared to 45-60% for other, smaller hdyropower plants in Ethiopia. Critics conclude that a smaller dam would be more cost-effective.
for the dam has been published so far. It is not clear if one has been undertaken or is underway. This makes it difficult to quantify the positive and negative impacts of the dam. However, a qualitative assessment of the positive and negative social and environmental impacts of the dam is attempted below. Public consultation about dams in Ethiopia is affected by the political climate in the country. The NGO International Rivers
reports that “conversations with civil society groups in Ethiopia indicate that questioning the government’s energy sector plans is highly risky, and there are legitimate concerns of government persecution. Because of this political climate, no groups are actively pursuing the issues surrounding hydropower dams, nor publicly raising concerns about the risks. In this situation, extremely limited and inadequate public consultation has been organized” during the implementation of major dams.
in Egypt. Ethiopia's Minister of Water and Energy, Alemayehu Tegenu, claims that by storing more water in the reservoir of the Millennium Dam and less water in Lake Nasser, "more than 7.5 billion cubic meters of water could be saved from evaporation". At the same time the hydropower plant would be able to produce more than twice as much electricity as the Aswan High Dam (5,250 MW vs. 2,100 MW). The dam would retain silt. It would thus increase the useful lifetime of dams in Sudan – such as the Roseires Dam
, the Sennar Dam
and the Merowe Dam
– and of the Aswan High Dam in Egypt. The beneficial and harmful effects of flood control would affect the Sudanese portion of the Blue Nile, just as it would affect the Ethiopian part of the Blue Nile valley downstream of the dam. Nevertheless, Sudan and Egypt have serious concerns about the project; Egypt has requested that it be allowed to inspect the dam, in order to allay its fears, but Ethiopia has denied the request unless Egypt relinquishes its veto on water allocation. Egypt then consented to it after a delegation reviewed the plans. Ethiopian Foreign Minister Hailemariam Desalegn reportedly danced to mark the occasion.
There is no international treaty for the sharing of the waters of the Blue Nile between Ethiopia on the one hand and Sudan and Egypt on the other hand. A 1959 Nile treaty between Egypt and Sudan does not include Ethiopia. A Nile treaty signed by the upper riparian states in 2010, the Cooperative Framework Agreement, has not been signed by either Egypt or Sudan. The Nile Basin Initiative
provides a framework for dialogue among all Nile riparian countries.
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. At 5250 MW, the dam will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa when completed, as well as the tenth largest in the world. The reservoir at 63 billion cubic meters will be one of the continent's largest.
Background
On 31 March 2011, a day after the project was made public, a US$4.8 billion contract was awarded without competitive bidding to Salini Costruttori and the dam's foundation stone was laid on 2 April 2011 by Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles ZenawiMeles Zenawi
Meles Zenawi Asres is the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Since 1985, he has been chairman of the Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation Front , and is currently head of the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front .Meles was born in Adwa, Tigray in Northern Ethiopia, to an Ethiopian father from...
. A rock crushing plant has been constructed along with a small air strip for fast transportation. Construction is expected to last 44 months when two generators would be operational. Egypt, which lies downstream, opposes the dam which it believes will reduce the amount of water that it gets from the Nile. Zenawi argues, based on an unnamed study, that the dam would not reduce water availability downstream and would also regulate water for irrigation. In May 2011, it was announced that Ethiopia would share blueprints for the dam with Egypt so the downstream impact could be examined.
The dam was originally called "Project X" and after its contract was announced, it was called the Millennium Dam. On 15 April 2011, the Council of Ministers renamed it Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Design
The dam will be a 145 m (476 ft) tall, 1800 m (5,906 ft) long gravity-type composed of roller-compacted concreteRoller-compacted concrete
Roller-compacted concrete or rolled concrete is a special blend of concrete that has essentially the same ingredients as conventional concrete but in different ratios, and increasingly with partial substitution of fly ash for Portland cement. RCC is a mix of cement/fly ash, water, sand, aggregate...
and will have two power house
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
s, each on either side of the spillway. The right power house will contain ten 350 MW Francis turbine
Francis turbine
The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine that was developed by James B. Francis in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts....
-generators while the left will contain five. Supporting the dam and reservoir will be a 5 km (3 mi) long and 50 m (164 ft) high saddle dam. The dam's reservoir will have a volume of 63000000000 cubic metre.
Cost and financing
The Ethiopian government has stated that it intends to fund the entire cost of the dam by itself. It has issued a bond targeted at Ethiopians in the country and abroad to that end. The turbines and associated electrical equipment of the hydropower plants costing about US$1.8 billion are reportedly financed by Chinese banks. This would leave US$3 billion to be financed by the Ethiopian government through other means. The estimated US$4.8 billion construction cost, apparently excluding the cost of power transmission lines, corresponds to more than 15% of Ethiopia’s Gross Domestic Product of US$31 billion in 2009.Construction
The main contractor will be the ItalianItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
company Salini Costruttori, which also served as primary contractor for the Gilgel Gibe II
Gilgel Gibe II Power Station
The Gilgel Gibe II Power Station is a hydroelectric power station on the Omo River in Ethiopia. The power station receives water from a tunnel entrance on the Gilgel Gibe River. It has an installed capacity of 420 MW and was inaugurated on January 14, 2010...
, Gilgel Gibe II, and Tana Beles
Beles Hydroelectric Power Plant
The Beles Hydroelectric Power Plant, sometimes referred to as Beles II or Tana Beles, is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric power plant in Ethiopia near Lake Tana. The power plant receives water from the lake and after utilizing it to produce electricity, the water is then discharged into the Beles...
dams. It is expected to consume 100 million quintals of concrete , the government has pledged to use only domestically produced concrete.
Benefits
A major benefit of the dam will be hydropower production. The electricity to be produced by the hydropower plant is to be sold in Ethiopia and to neighboring countries including Sudan and possibly Egypt. Selling the electricity from the dam would require the construction of massive transmission lines to major consumption centers such as Ethiopia’s capital Addis AbabaAddis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
and Sudan’s capital Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
, both located more than 400km away from the dam. These sales would come on top of electricity that is expected to be sold from other large hydropower plants that are under construction in Ethiopia, such as Gilgel Gibe III.
The plant load factor of the planned hydropwer plant - the expected electricity production divided by the potential production if the power plant was utilized permanently at full capacity - is only 33% compared to 45-60% for other, smaller hdyropower plants in Ethiopia. Critics conclude that a smaller dam would be more cost-effective.
Environmental and social impacts
No environmental and social impact assessmentEnvironmental impact assessment
An environmental impact assessment is an assessment of the possible positive or negative impact that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting of the natural, social and economic aspects....
for the dam has been published so far. It is not clear if one has been undertaken or is underway. This makes it difficult to quantify the positive and negative impacts of the dam. However, a qualitative assessment of the positive and negative social and environmental impacts of the dam is attempted below. Public consultation about dams in Ethiopia is affected by the political climate in the country. The NGO International Rivers
International Rivers
International Rivers is a non-profit, non-governmental, environmental and human rights organization based in Berkeley, California, United States...
reports that “conversations with civil society groups in Ethiopia indicate that questioning the government’s energy sector plans is highly risky, and there are legitimate concerns of government persecution. Because of this political climate, no groups are actively pursuing the issues surrounding hydropower dams, nor publicly raising concerns about the risks. In this situation, extremely limited and inadequate public consultation has been organized” during the implementation of major dams.
Impact on Ethiopia
Since the Blue Nile is a highly seasonal river, the dam would reduce flooding downstream of the dam, including on the 40km stretch within Ethiopia. On the one hand, the reduction of flooding is beneficial since it protects settlements from flood damage. On the other hand, it can be harmful, if flood recession agriculture is practiced in the river valley downstream of the dam since it deprives fields from being watered. The dam could also serve as a bridge across the Blue Nile, complementing a bridge that was under construction in 2009 further upstream. The dam will affect the livelihoods of people living in the area upstream of the dam that will be flooded by the reservoir. The Benishangul-Gumuz Region is not densely settled, with only 12 inhabitants per square kilometer on average, including many nomads.Impact on Sudan and Egypt
The reservoir volume is about equivalent to the annual flow of the Nile at the Sudanese-Egyptian border (65.5 billion cubic meter). This loss to downstream countries would occur only once and would be most likely be spread over several years while the reservoir fills. However, it will still affect downstream countries in a way that is not negligible. Evaporative losses from the dam’s reservoir will permanently reduce the flow of the Blue Nile. The magnitude of these losses is not known. Ethiopian sources point out that both the area of the reservoir and the evaporation rate will be smaller than for Lake NasserLake Nasser
Lake Nasser is a vast reservoir in southern Egypt, and northern Sudan, and is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world. Strictly, "Lake Nasser" refers only to the much larger portion of the lake that is in Egyptian territory , with the Sudanese preferring to call their smaller body of water...
in Egypt. Ethiopia's Minister of Water and Energy, Alemayehu Tegenu, claims that by storing more water in the reservoir of the Millennium Dam and less water in Lake Nasser, "more than 7.5 billion cubic meters of water could be saved from evaporation". At the same time the hydropower plant would be able to produce more than twice as much electricity as the Aswan High Dam (5,250 MW vs. 2,100 MW). The dam would retain silt. It would thus increase the useful lifetime of dams in Sudan – such as the Roseires Dam
Roseires Dam
The Roseires Dam is a dam on the Blue Nile at Ad Damazin, just upstream of the town of Er Roseires, in Sudan. It consists of a concrete buttress dam 1 km wide with a maximum height of 68m, and an earth dam on either side. The earth dam on the eastern bank is 4 km long, and that on the...
, the Sennar Dam
Sennar Dam
The Sennar Dam is a dam on the Blue Nile near the town of Sennar, Sudan. It was built in 1925 by the British engineer, desert explorer and adventurer, Stephen "Roy" Sherlock, under the direction of Weetman Pearson. The dam is 3025 meters long, with a maximum height of 40 meters . It provides...
and the Merowe Dam
Merowe Dam
The Merowe Dam, also known as Merowe High Dam, Merowe Multi-Purpose Hydro Project or Hamdab Dam, is a large dam near Merowe Town in northern Sudan, about north of the capital Khartoum. Its dimensions make it the largest contemporary hydropower project in Africa...
– and of the Aswan High Dam in Egypt. The beneficial and harmful effects of flood control would affect the Sudanese portion of the Blue Nile, just as it would affect the Ethiopian part of the Blue Nile valley downstream of the dam. Nevertheless, Sudan and Egypt have serious concerns about the project; Egypt has requested that it be allowed to inspect the dam, in order to allay its fears, but Ethiopia has denied the request unless Egypt relinquishes its veto on water allocation. Egypt then consented to it after a delegation reviewed the plans. Ethiopian Foreign Minister Hailemariam Desalegn reportedly danced to mark the occasion.
There is no international treaty for the sharing of the waters of the Blue Nile between Ethiopia on the one hand and Sudan and Egypt on the other hand. A 1959 Nile treaty between Egypt and Sudan does not include Ethiopia. A Nile treaty signed by the upper riparian states in 2010, the Cooperative Framework Agreement, has not been signed by either Egypt or Sudan. The Nile Basin Initiative
Nile Basin Initiative
The Nile Basin Initiative is a partnership among the Nile riparian states that “seeks to develop the river in a cooperative manner, share substantial socioeconomic benefits, and promote regional peace and security”...
provides a framework for dialogue among all Nile riparian countries.