The Chief Engineer of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Ato Simegnew Bekele has said that all the equipment and machinery required for the construction of the dam have now been acquired. He told reporters that a total of 1000 items of equipment had now been imported.

A gravel crusher with the capacity to produce 400 cubic meters of gravel per hour has been set up and the installation of a concrete producing machine with same capacity is underway. Speaking about the status of the construction Ato Simegnew said "the excavation work for the floor of the dam is now complete", and he added "excavation works for installation of the pipes that will enable for diversion of the waters is underway".

He also noted that the excavation works for six power generation stations to the left side of the dam and for ten stations on the right side have been started. The design and selection of a site for the construction of a 500 killovolt power distribution site has also taken place.