JUBA/CAIRO — Egypt says it agreed to South Sudan’s proposed Fula hydropower project after reviewing studies through Nile Basin cooperation mechanisms, clarifying one regional diplomatic question around the long-discussed electricity project.
Egyptian Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hani Sewilam said Fula was among projects considered through Nile Basin Initiative processes involving studies, information exchange and consultation. His comments followed remarks by South Sudan’s Energy and Dams Minister Agok Makur about the country’s right to develop its water and hydropower resources.
Support is not the same as financing
The diplomatic clarification does not establish that construction is ready to begin. South Sudan still faces questions around financing, procurement, engineering, transmission infrastructure, construction schedules and project delivery.
What is established
Egyptian support has been publicly stated. A complete, secured financing package and detailed implementation timetable for Grand Fula have not been publicly established in the reporting reviewed by South Sudan Press.
Why Fula matters
The proposed project near Nimule forms part of South Sudan’s effort to expand domestic electricity generation. Reliable power could affect manufacturing, agricultural processing, telecommunications, hospitals, schools and the cost of operating businesses.
Those benefits would also depend on transmission and distribution systems capable of carrying electricity from generation sites to households and businesses.
The next questions
The accountability focus now shifts from regional acceptance to implementation: who will finance the project, what procurement model will be used, when could construction begin, what environmental and community safeguards will apply, and how will generated electricity reach consumers?