If one requests what is the gravity dam on the Blue Nile River in Africa, Ethiopia, they can have a response of the Grand Abbay Dam, previously known as the Millennium Dam. It was commenced in 2011 in Benishangul-Gumuz state of Ethiopia, about 14 kilometers east of the border with Sudan, and being constructed with a view to generating more than 5,000 megawatts. It is strongly believed that the dam would double Ethiopia’s electricity production, to which only half the country’s population of over 120 million currently has access.
It is well recognized that Ethiopia started damming the Abbay River for the purpose of boosting electric generation, facilitating flood protection in lower areas, expand irrigation, controlling sediment, entertaining navigation and expanding fishery production. Yes, the Grand Abbay Dam will be the largest dam in Africa upon completion with 1,800 meters long, 155 meters high. It will create a reservoir covering 1,875 square kilometers and contain 74 billion cubic meters of water.
Here, one of the staples of the dam and major industry advantages is its usage in hydropower and electrical generation. There are several environmental advantages of hydroelectric power including its flexibility, affordability, and the perks of being a renewable resource.
Being water tower of Africa, the owner of a number of rivers, lakes and many more water bodies, Ethiopia has now been well utilizing its resources for economic development and progress. The main motivation that the Ethiopian government has given for building the dam is hydropower production to increase electrification, accelerating industrialization and to sell power to neighboring countries.
Furthermore, the importance of damming the river is aimed at expanding water reservoirs since this move helps foster flood prevention, boost holding water for irrigation, and expand fishery and many other recreational purposes. Needless to state, Ethiopia has been trekking at the right track and showing remarkable changes in due source of utilizing the water resources, but Egypt has tried to make some sort of attention diversion. The progress of Ethiopia regarding hydropower development has been bearing fruits, and such a viable move has been well pronounced and capitalized on.
The Dam is on the Blue Nile tributary in the north west of Ethiopian highlands, from where 85% of the Nile’s waters flow. It is Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam project. This grand project has to be well nurtured and treated for the socio-economic benefit of Ethiopia and other riparian countries predominantly for Egypt and Sudan. The dam’s power will also help benefit Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti, all of which are connected to Ethiopia’s grid and will begin importing power from it. Ethiopia has been doing so as for rural electrification as its 65% of the population has led life in darkness.
As electricity is the future and the lifeblood of modernization especially in the era of transformation, the means to generate electricity needs to be given due attention and sources, dams, have to be well expanded. As the colossal dam is near completion, its 3rd and 4th unites began power generation, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) announced last Sunday and it promises to set the country on a path to industrialization that could lift thousands of millions of citizens out of poverty.
No doubt, Ethiopians see building the dam as a fundamental right, one that could bring electricity to more than half of Ethiopians who don’t have access at home. Egyptians see their fate potentially falling into foreign hands as they heavily dependent on Nile water. The very important thing that needs to be taken into account in this regard is Ethiopia, which built the dam largely with its own financial power, wants the reservoir full and generating the maximum electricity as soon as the Dam is completed.
As history would have it, dams have served society for over 4500 years. Through time, functions and uses have been notably altered and gradually modified. There has been a significant proliferation in purposes for constructing dams to control stream flow and secure water storage. Technological changes have been paralleled with construction of ever-larger dams to gain control of larger water supplies like the Grand Abbay Dam. This splendid dam in east African nation is of paramount importance in bolstering environmental and societal benefits of the entire community. The size of the Dam is a reflection of the changing dependence of society on specific water services. As nature has its rhythm of change, the challenge is to fit human use into nature with minimal adverse environmental impacts. As with agriculture, dams have become part of the domesticated landscape, indeed!
Ideas of water management arose among people subsequent to the agricultural revolution and the inception of urbanization. By the time that hydraulic societies formed, a certain body of collective experiences possibly provided model and incentive for government authorities to impose their will upon a water management system. The 70 islands around this grand dam would be of great significance in creating job opportunities and helping the nation secure foreign currency gained from foreign tourists.
Water is a multi-faceted resource commanding universal attention and fostering structured management systems. The dam belongs in the public domain because the water it controls is to serve the public at large and not any particular interest group. Yes, it has been constructed using the financial capacity drawn from the entire society ranging from street vending poor woman to high profile investors, beloved fellow compatriots.
Since dam construction is a socially and economically conditioned response to identified community needs, the construction of the Grand Abbay Dam is comparatively recent in this chronology and is a marker in the trajectory of the history of technology.
As stated earlier, the dam is primarily used to store water, control flooding and generate electricity. Besides, it provides various advantages for communities and other many more advantages. This grand dam is an important structure that is constructed for the purpose of water storage. The water held by it, generally from a channel, can later be used for generating electricity and used for irrigation purposes as well as promoting flood control.
Needless to cite, Ethiopia has followed a number of steps to construct this grand dam like building up an area to help divert water in order to properly create structure. Engineers usually implement tunneling systems to help in diverting water from existing rivers, creating a foundation is the next step in construction of dams, assembling the overall structure of the dam, too.
Without a shadow of doubt, the resource is renewable given that it can be used repeatedly downstream for power generation. Hydropower can be stored or diverted and is one of the most eco-friendly means of producing power.
One of the major advantages of the Grand Abbay Dam is its eco-friendly feature. Because the dam uses as a renewable resource, it helps reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide.
Since the dam suffice riparian countries especially the three major ones, Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan, collaboration for its safety and eternal duration should come at the forefront. However, Egypt’s politicians have jumped at the chance to portray Ethiopia as the cause of crisis pushing millions of Egyptians into darkness and poverty. This is a baseless allegation emanated from neglecting the right purpose of the dam.
The dam’s promise of regular electricity is as a potent symbol of change in Ethiopia since economic growth in Ethiopia has been stifled by a lack of electricity and industry margins have been hollowed out by the nightmare unpredictable power cuts almost on a daily basis. It is also well recognized that Ethiopia’s lack of electricity has been contributing to an economic lag that in turn has left the country in an immensely precarious situation. This trend has to be well seen off. Ethiopia is right this time about to complete the construction of the dam and declare hydropower independence.
It is also well comprehended that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched power generation of the 3rd and 4th turbines at the Grand Abbay Dam and stated that the dam will significantly boost hydropower generation, clean energy production as well as bolstering agricultural productivity.
The launch of these turbines is indeed a major milestone for Ethiopia as it aims at regulating water flow, reducing flood risks, and ensuring a reliable water supply for neighboring nations, too.
As to the Premier, the turbines are of paramount importance in enhancing water flow and regional resource management, and they started power generation and the 3 additional units of the Dam will start power generation after four months. This is really a good news emerged from Guba for the lower Abbay basin countries as the dam plays a crucial role in boosting clean energy, renewable source of power and flood risk mitigation.
With the launch of the new turbines, Ethiopia is poised to become a significant energy producer in Africa. The dam is expected to generate over 5,000 megawatts of electricity, which will not only meet domestic demands but also allow for energy exports to neighboring countries. This shift will foster clean energy production, regional cooperation and economic growth. The Grand Abbay Dam is set to provide numerous advantages for Ethiopia and its neighbors. To mention but a few, it would improve agricultural productivity through regulated water supply, enhance power generation capacity for regional energy needs, and mitigate flood risks in downstream areas, among others.
Generally, as a result of administration determination and firm public commitment, Ethiopia has been in a position to compete the construction of the largest dam in the African continent using its own financial muscle. True, the country is arduously working to make its lack of electricity history and avert an economic lag that in turn has left the country in an immensely precarious situation.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
BY MENGESHA AMARE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 28 AUGUST 2024
