Ethiopia to start generating electricity from Nile dam on Sunday » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 19 – Ethiopia will start generating electricity from its controversial dam on the river Nile on Sunday,  officials have said.

The dam that is fully financed by Ethiopia at a cost of US5 billion is located in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia, about 45 km (28 mi) east of the border with Sudan and was constructed with the main purpose of generating electricity.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), set to be the largest hydroelectric project in Africa, has been at the center of a regional dispute ever since Ethiopia broke ground in 2011.

“Tomorrow will be the first energy generation of the dam,” an official said.