Arabic version: مصر تدعم سد فولا في جنوب السودان بعد مراجعة

According to Allafrica, Egypt has agreed to support South Sudan’s planned Grand Fula Dam after reviewing technical studies, exchanging information, assessing potential impacts and participating in consultations. Egyptian Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hani Sewilam outlined Cairo’s position during a media briefing in Cairo organized by Egypt’s State Information Service for more than 80 foreign correspondents.

Sewilam said the Fula project was among 36 projects submitted through the Nile Basin Initiative’s investment program. He described Egypt’s approval as an example of how prior notification, information exchange, impact assessment and consultation could enable development projects and help them secure financing.

Egypt supports South Sudan’s development objectives, including the Fula project, Sewilam said, while maintaining that projects on shared waterways should comply with international water law. The Grand Fula hydropower project is planned on the White Nile near Nimule in Eastern Equatoria State, close to South Sudan’s border with Uganda, and has long been considered as part of efforts to expand domestic electricity generation and power access.

The minister contrasted Egypt’s stance on Fula with its continuing objections to Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, or GERD, on the Blue Nile. Sewilam described the GERD as unilateral and said Egypt had not accepted the situation created by its construction, filling and operation. He said Cairo retained measures it considers available under international law to protect its water security and interests.

Sewilam said unilateral operation of the GERD could cause sudden changes in downstream water flows that could affect infrastructure in Egypt and Sudan. Egypt continues to seek a legally binding agreement governing the dam’s operation, while Ethiopia has said the project is intended for power generation and development. South Sudan’s Energy and Dams Minister Peter Marcello Agok Makur has said Juba is prepared to proceed with dam projects including Fula, though no construction timetable was provided.