Latest news with #Sharaky
Egypt Independent
3 days ago
- Science
- Egypt Independent
Expert explains what Ethiopia is hiding regarding the GERD
Professor of Geology and Water Resources at Cairo University Abbas Sharaky said that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) reached its full storage level of 60 billion cubic meters of water on Sunday, at a level of 638 meters. In a post on his Facebook account on Sunday, he explained that the water reached this level in the GERD lake upon the completion of the first filling on September 5, 2024. After that, Ethiopia opened three gates to release excess water until they were completely closed on December 24, 2024. The GERD's reservoir level dropped by only five billion cubic meters over a 10-month period (September 2024 – July 2025), while the power generation turbines were supposed to consume at least 30 billion cubic meters if operating at 50 percent efficiency. However, the reservoir level remained unchanged until the onset of the rains on July 1, and then returned to full storage on Sunday. 'The inefficient operation of the turbines required a gradual release of water starting in April, but the gates were not opened to prevent the public from discovering that the turbines were not operating efficiently and remained closed,' the professor noted. He said that, 'Two gates of the upper spillway must be opened to maintain the actual storage of 60 billion cubic meters, even though the lake can hold an additional four billion cubic meters at a level of 640 meters, the level of the middle spillway.' The Egyptian expert did not rule out the possibility that Ethiopia would continue to store water until it reaches the middle spillway level. In this case, the filling would be complete by the end of this month, given that the average flow in the coming days will range between 350 and 400 million m3/day. Sharaky emphasized that Sudanese dams do not store water at the beginning of the season and their gates are currently open. Water was expected to be released from GERD starting on Sunday, if the spillway gates are opened, or from the top of the middle spillway on July 31. He added that, 'In any case, the High Dam is ready to receive floodwater.'
Egypt Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Trump courts Nobel Prize through GERD issue
Professor of Geology and Water Resources at Cairo University, Abbas Sharaky commented on US President Donald Trump's statements regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in a post on his Facebook account titled 'President Trump Flirts with Nobel Prizes Through GERD.' Sharaky noted that Trump has brought up the GERD dispute for the second time in three weeks since assuming his second term. Trump tweeted on June 21, denouncing the matter, 'I will not receive the Nobel Peace Prize for preserving peace between Egypt and Ethiopia. The huge dam built by Ethiopia, with stupid funding from the United States, significantly reduces the flow of water to the Nile River.' Earlier on July 14, Trump said, 'We worked on the Egypt issue with its neighbor, a country that has been a good neighbor and a friend of ours, but they built a dam that blocked the flow of water into the Nile River. I don't know why they didn't solve the problem before they built the dam, but it's nice to have water in the Nile River. It's a very important source of income and life. It's the lifeline for Egypt, and this problem will be solved very quickly. We're making good deals.' Sharaky noted that President Trump sponsored the negotiations from November 2019 to February 2020, but they failed to reach an agreement after Ethiopia was absent on the signing day, even though Egypt signed with initials. He pointed out that Trump is trying to show that he prevented escalation between Egypt and Ethiopia, and that the current calm has resulted from this effort, even though no serious conflict has occurred between the two countries. Sharaky said that Trump claimed that the US foolishly financed the dam, even though it was previously unknown that there was direct US funding for the dam – rather what was known was there was American aid in various fields, amounting to one billion dollars annually, which the Ethiopian administration could then direct to the dam. He added that this funding occurred during Trump's first term (2017-2021). Sharaky continued: 'I believe that the term 'stupidly financed' is intended to direct blame at the previous administration, considering it was the one who did this.' Trump also accused it of spending US funds to support Ukraine and the Middle East, and that he would recoup this money by concluding Gulf deals and a mining agreement with Ukraine. How Trump aims for a solution He explained that Trump is trying to court the Nobel Prize, portraying the GERD crisis as having reached its peak and that he will seek to resolve it quickly, to add it as another of his achievements. Trump frequently mentions stopping the wars between India and Pakistan, Serbia and Kosovo, Congo and Rwanda, and Iran, and may even halt Israel's war on Gaza, Sharaky noted. He stressed that the GERD is not a life-or-death issue for Egypt, lest some see it a major bargain to achieve a demand that Egypt strongly rejects, particularly the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza to Sinai. Sharaky pointed out that the past five years have been the most harmful to Egypt because of the GERD, as they witnessed the first filling of the GERD reservoir, storing part of water and allowing another part to flow. Without the High Dam and Egyptian measures, a catastrophe would have occurred, Sharaky said, noting that this year is better than previous years because our annual revenue will come in. He continued that President Trump could invite all three parties—Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia—to reach an agreement in less than a week, as conditions are currently better than before, thanks to the completion of the first filling, which was a major point of contention in previous negotiations over the number of years of filling. This approach could encourage reaching an agreement that regulates the repeated filling and subsequent operation, he said, and, if possible, reduces the storage capacity, which poses a significant threat to the security of Sudan and Egypt. Reaching an agreement would also ensure consultation, coordination, and the conclusion of an agreement regarding any future water projects, he explained.
Egypt Independent
12-07-2025
- Business
- Egypt Independent
Expert comments on state of GERD funding and involvement from the US and Arab world
A Professor of Geology and Water Resources at Cairo University Abbas Sharaky discussed US President Donald Trump's statements regarding US funding for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). During a phone interview with Amr Adib on his show 'al-Hekaya' (The Story), on MBC Masr, Sharaky said that Egypt has been urging countries from the beginning not to finance any projects without Egypt's approval. 'Indeed, there is no funding from the World Bank or the European Union, but there is indirect funding from some countries, including the US,' he noted. Sharaky pointed out that China is financing the electricity grid and turbines with approximately two billion dollars, via Chinese banks. He also explained that the company currently building GERD is an Italian company. 'There is a well-known businessman of Ethiopian origin who was involved in GERD and has investments, but most of the primary investments are from Ethiopians themselves,' he said. Sharaky noted that the US grants Ethiopia approximately one billion dollars annually, which the Ethiopian government can use for the GERD and other projects. He referred to statements made by the US ambassador to Addis Ababa in 2021, in which the ambassador said that the US had provided approximately three billion dollars to Ethiopia over the previous three years. Sharaky stated: 'These three years were during Trump's first term.' He explained that Ethiopia announced in February 2011 that the cost of GERD was $4.8 billion, adding: 'But I believe it exceeded eight billion dollars, and perhaps even surpassing $10 billion.' Sharaky explained that most of the announced funding is from within Ethiopia through bonds issued by Ethiopians both at home and abroad. He added however that several nations, including an Arab country, invested three billion dollars in Ethiopia in 2018, including one billion in the Central Bank of Ethiopia, which the Ethiopian government can direct in any direction – such as with the GERD project.
Egypt Independent
29-06-2025
- Science
- Egypt Independent
Floods expected in Khartoum following failure in Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam operation
The Professor of Geology and Water Resources at Cairo University, Abbas Sharaky, said there is a high probability of flooding on both sides of the Blue Nile and the Nile rivers near the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, at the end of August, similar to before the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Sharaky explained in a Facebook post that the dam's reservoir is currently almost full (about 55 billion cubic meters) and has not been used in recent months. This year's incident is an exception due to turbine failure at the GERD, he noted, and it is expected that the natural flood of the Blue Nile will be fully discharged by the end of July. 'This disruption in the operation of GERD coincides with the expected increase in rainfall this year, according to IGAD's climate forecasting and application models for the coming months,' he explained. Despite the severity of the floods and their damage to some residents in Sudan, he noted that they are the main source of flood irrigation for many farmers along the Blue Nile, compensating them for the lack of water reaching them in the past two years (2023-2024) as a result of the large storage in the GERD of about 43 billion m3 in that period. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
