Ethiopia on 3 July said it has finished building the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the multi-billion-dollar hydro-electric project on the Blue Nile that has dominated regional diplomacy for more than a decade. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told parliament the dam is “now complete” and will be formally inaugurated in September, extending an open invitation to Egypt and Sudan to attend the ceremony. Launched in 2011 with an estimated $4 billion budget, GERD is billed as Africa’s largest hydro-electric facility. The structure stretches about 1.8 kilometres across the river and rises 145 metres. When fully operational, its reservoir will hold up to 74 billion cubic metres of water and turbines are designed to produce in excess of 5,000 megawatts—more than double Ethiopia’s current installed capacity. The plant began partial power generation in February 2022. Abiy insisted the project “is not a threat, but a shared opportunity,” stressing that additional power will benefit the wider region. Ethiopia, home to roughly 130 million people, says about half its population still lacks electricity and that the dam is central to its development goals. Downstream nations rejected the unilateral declaration. Egyptian Water Resources Minister Hani Sewilam said Cairo “categorically rejects” steps that could endanger its share of Nile water, accusing Addis Ababa of imposing a fait accompli after years of stalled three-party negotiations. Sudan, which also relies heavily on the river, issued similar objections in a joint statement with Egypt earlier this week. Talks on binding rules for filling and operating the dam remain deadlocked.