Ethiopia has implemented a major energy project of historical significance - the country's largest hydroelectric power plant on the African continent was commissioned.
According to reports, the grand opening ceremony took place in Guba on Tuesday. The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmad, as well as the presidents of Somalia, Djibouti, and Kenya, personally participated in it.
The construction of this dam began in 2011 in the western part of Ethiopia, approximately 30 kilometers from the border with Sudan. The total cost of the project is $4.6 billion. This HPP has a capacity of 5250 megawatts and is equipped with a cascade of dams. The height of the main dam is 145 meters, and its length is about 1.8 kilometers.
With the commissioning of the hydroelectric power plant, Ethiopia intends to at least double its electricity production. The main goal of the country's leadership is to provide the population with full electricity supply and export excess capacity to neighboring countries.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Abiy Ahmad emphasized that the construction of the HPP was carried out not to harm neighbors, but to provide the entire region with stable electricity.
At the same time, the debates surrounding the project have been ongoing for several years. In particular, Ethiopia has been negotiating with Egypt and Sudan on the procedures for using hydroelectric power plants since 2012. Neighboring countries express concern that the possibility of unilateral management of a huge reservoir could negatively affect their national security and the distribution of water resources.
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