GERD: Storage has reached 4 billion, and the third filling has stopped
According to an Egyptian analyst, the third filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) ceased last evening, as did Ethiopia’s storage of 4 billion cubic metres.
Dr. Abbas Sharaki, an Egyptian expert, explained that satellite images from the GERD site indicated that the third storage work had ceased and the water crossing at the top of the middle passage had been completed on Sunday, emphasizing that the quantities of water stored totaled 4 billion cubic metres.
Sharaki further stated that Ethiopia aimed to achieve a level of 595 metres with a total of 18.5 billion cubic metres of stored water, but storage was stopped at 590 metres.
He stated that the lake level is likely to briefly increase to 595 metres during the months of August and September.
Furthermore, the Egyptian expert revealed that the average revenue from the flood for the entire month of July amounted to 7 billion cubic metres, explaining that the storage began on July 11 and ended yesterday, lasting about 20 days and totaling 4 billion cubic metres, bringing the total storage in the GERD over three years to 12 billion cubic metres.
Due to Addis Ababa’s continued participation in the third filling of the GERD, Egypt filed a formal protest with the UN.
Last Friday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry addressed the UN to express Egypt’s strong opposition to Ethiopia’s unilateral filling of the GERD in the absence of an agreement with Egypt and Sudan on the filling and operation of this project.
It is worth noting that a satellite photograph taken in July indicated that Ethiopia had completed the first billion of the third filling.
Satellite photographs from early June indicated that Ethiopian authorities were continuing to lift the dam’s middle tunnel and empty several other dams in preparation for the flood season and storage.
The photos also indicated that work to elevate the GERD’s middle corridor is continuing, with Ethiopia aiming to reach a level of 595 metres since the initial storage in 2020.
The dam has sparked a dispute between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, with Egypt and Sudan demanding a legally and technically agreed-upon timeframe for filling, functioning, and exchanging dam data.