Ethiopia moves forward with Grand Millennium Dam

National Geographic : Ethiopia announced that it will build a multibillion-dollar Nile River dam that is expected to be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa. The dam, which will span a section of the Blue Nile River in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, could supply more than 5000 megawatts of electricity for Ethiopia and its neighbors, including South Sudan. The project is not without potential downsides; conservationists, as well as the governments of Egypt and South Sudan, are concerned that the dam might reduce the downstream water flow of the Nile. No environmental impact assessment reports have been made, nor has the Ethiopian government indicated that any studies are planned. This has made it difficult to find international funding for the project. The government has said that it plans to fund the dam without foreign aid by selling bonds to the public. Another potential difficulty is the fact that most Africans are not connected to the grid, and thus Ethiopia will be generating significantly more electricity than it or the surrounding countries need. The dam will be completed in 2015.