Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan on Thursday selected two firms to conduct two studies on Ethiopia's $4.8-billion hydroelectric Nile dam after two days of rigorous negotiations.
The selection of the two firms came during a meeting of water ministers from the three states in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
In 2011, an international panel of experts recommended that two studies be conducted on the dam.
The committee said the two studies should include a hydrological simulation model and trans-boundary social, economic and environmental impact assessment.
Late last year, the three countries formed a 12-strong technical national committee to oversee the implementation of the two studies by giving the contract to international consultants.
'The meeting has successfully selected two consulting firms,' the committee said in a statement.
It added that one of the two firms would be a leading one, while the other would sub-consult it to carry out the two studies recommended by the experts' panel.
'The committee will address the lead consultant to obtain its clearance and once received, the names of the two selected firms will be officially disclosed,' the committee said.
Ethiopian Irrigation and Energy Minister Alemayehu Tegenu, Egyptian Irrigation Minister Hossam Moghazi and Sudanese Irrigation Minister Mutaz Musa signed the minutes of the two-day deliberations, which ended on Thursday.
Moghazi said winning consultants would be notified, expecting them to respond in two weeks.
'It is expected that the contract will be signed with winning consultants by April 4,' the Egyptian minister said.
He added that the two studies would take around 11 months to be finalized.
Sources close to the negotiations, meanwhile, revealed that the two selected firms were from both France and the Netherlands.
By Addis Getachew Tadesse
Anadolu Agency
enerji@aa.com.tr