Photo: Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Facebook group.
This hydropower project could trigger regional conflict in Africa.
Conflict related to renewable energy received considerable international attention in 2020 with the launch of the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD). Ethiopia began constructing what is now Africa’s largest dam back in 2011 in order to increase its low levels of domestic electricity access as well as to export electricity to neighboring countries. Since its inception, however, the dam has sparked controversy for its environmental impacts, questionable design, accusations of corruption in its construction, and for its potential impact on the regional politics of shared water management. Experts, politicians, and policy makers have raised concerns that the filling of the reservoir in July 2020 could trigger a regional conflict between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt – with Egypt having threatened war over the dam in 2013 and more recently launched a cyber war ag