This general view shows the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Guba, Ethiopia. AFP
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), launched in 2011 with a $4 billion budget, is considered Africa's largest hydroelectric project, spanning 1.8 kilometres (just over one mile) in width and 145 metres (475 feet) in height.
Speaking in parliament, Abiy said GERD "is now complete, and we are preparing for its official inauguration".
Addis Ababa has deemed the dam vital for its electrification programme. Still, it has long been a source of tension with downstream nations, Egypt and Sudan, who worry that it will affect their water supply.
"To our neighbours downstream — Egypt and Sudan — our message is clear: the Renaissance Dam is not a threat, but a shared opportunity," he added.
"The energy and development it will generate stand to uplift not just Ethiopia," Abiy said.
Ethiopia first began generating electricity at the project, located in the northwest of the country, around 30 km from the border with Sudan, in February 2022. At full capacity, the massive dam can hold as much as 74 billion cubic metres of water and could generate more than 5,000 megawatts of power.
A decade of negotiations
Neither Cairo nor Khartoum has opposed Ethiopia's development goals.
Both nations have consistently sought a legally binding agreement on the dam's filling and operation, in line with international law and principles governing transnational watercourses.
However, Ethiopia unilaterally completed the five-phase filling of the dam, bringing two turbines into operation between 2020 and 2024, despite the absence of an agreement with downstream nations.
Egypt, which relies on the Nile River for 97 percent of its water needs, fears that the GERD will harm its already scarce water supply. Similarly, Sudan is concerned about the impact of Ethiopia's unilateral actions on the safety of its dams.
A decade of on-and-off negotiations between the downstream nations and Ethiopia has failed to produce an agreement.
Cairo, as a result, announced in December 2023 the end of the GERD negotiations track due to Ethiopia's persistent rejection of any proposed technical or legal solutions.
On Sunday, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty described water security as Egypt’s sole existential threat, stressing that the country will not allow its historical Nile water rights to be compromised.
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