Power Generation Begins From Contentious Multi-Billion Dollar Dam On Nile
NDTV
The $4.2-billion project, ultimately expected to produce more than 5,000 megawatts of electricity, has been at the center of a regional dispute ever since work first began in 2011.
Ethiopia began generating electricity from its mega-dam on the Blue Nile on Sunday, a milestone in the controversial multi-billion dollar project.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, accompanied by high-ranking officials, toured the power generation station and pressed a series of buttons on an electronic screen, a move that officials said initiated production.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is set to be the largest hydroelectric scheme in Africa but has been at the centre of a regional dispute ever since work first began in 2011.
Abiy described Sunday's development as "the birth of a new era".
