Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Muttalib said Egypt intends to show the world that it is keen on the development of the Nile Basin countries, contrary to claims by Ethiopia that Egypt objects to development projects in that region.
He added that Ethiopia has problems financing the dam, which would cost more than US$8 billion, doubting that the dam would start producing electricity mid this year as the Ethiopian government had said.
“We will in a few days announce the proactive scenarios we have for dealing with this problem,” he said.
“Experts in Ethiopia and the United States have studies about smaller dams that can produce hydroelectric energy instead of having to build the Renaissance Dam,” he said.
He said the dam’s current capacity is not more than 30 percent. “The geological nature of the area could make parts of the dam collapse from the water pressure on the soil.”
“Once we achieve internal stability, we will be more knowledgeable in dealing with the problem,” he said.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
