Addis Ababa, 04 january, 2015(WIC) – A contract with U.K.-based law firm Corbett & Co will be signed in early February in Khartoum to manage the legal affairs of the Tripartite National Committee (TNC,) Youm7 reported Sunday.
Corbett & Co will then sign another contract with French consultation firms BRLi and Artelia to study the impact of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD,) Irrigation Minister Hossam Moghazy told Youm7.
The studies are planned to take from eight to 12 months, and Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt will be committed to the results and recommendations of the results, Sudanese Electricity Minister Moataz Moussa told Youm7.
The studies are also expected to assess whether the construction of the GERD is carried out safely in a way that does not harm the downstream states; Sudan and Egypt, Moussa said.
After two meetings of the irrigation and foreign ministers of the three African countries, they agreed on Dec. 29 to replace Dutch Deltares with Artelia to conduct the study along with BRLi.
A third convention of the six-party meeting will be held in early February to sign the contract with the British law firm.
Egypt fears the dam, which will be Africa’s largest hydroelectric power plant, will negatively affect its share of Nile water (the cairo post).