Ethiopia says a controversial power dam on the Nile that’s opposed by Egypt has been completed

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia’s prime minister said Thursday that his country’s controversial power dam on the Nile has been completed.

Egypt has long opposed the dam because of concerns it would deplete its share of Nile River waters. Egypt has referred to the dam, known as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, as an existential threat because the Arab world’s most populous country relies almost entirely on the Nile to supply water for agriculture and its more than 100 million people.

Ethiopia disputes that suggestion.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his government is “preparing for its official inauguration.”

“While there are those who believe it should be disrupted before that moment, we reaffirm our commitment: the dam will be inaugurated,” he said.

Abiy said in his address that his country “remains committed to ensuring that our growth does not come at the expense of our Egyptian and Sudanese brothers and sisters.”