Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities Dr. Assem El Gazzar held a meeting to review the progress made so far in implementing Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant and Dam, which is being implemented by the JV of the Arab Contractors and Elsewedy Electric on Rufiji River in Tanzania.
This was in the presence of the ministry officials and the representatives of the project JV.
Dr. Assem Gazzar said that President Abdel Fattah El Sisi follows up on a regular basis the implementation of the project, which is carried out by an Egyptian consortium and falls within the distinguished ties between the two countries, Egypt’s interest in African affairs, and the great importance that this project represents for the Tanzanian people. Besides, the expected role of the dam and plant in providing electricity to Tanzania, controlling the flooding of the Rufiji River, and conserving the environment. This project also embodies the ability and capabilities of Egyptian companies in implementing major projects, especially in Africa.
The Minister of Housing pointed out that the project is aiming at the construction of a dam with a total length of 1025m at crest level and 131m in height. It has 7 water exits. Its capacity is 34 billion m3. Besides, the construction of a hydropower plant with a capacity of 2115MW The plant is located on the Rufiji River in the Selous Game Reserve at Morogoro, which is south of Dar es Salam (Tanzania's largest city and commercial capital).The Minister added that the project components being implemented included: (the main dam – hydropower generation plant and intakes works – 3 tunnels to transfer the water to the power plant - interconnecting electric power grids - 4 saddle dams for reservoir impounding of water - a permanent concrete bridge on Rufiji. the construction of permanent access roads to ease movement and link the project components permanent client camp—managing project procurement and electromechanical components)It is noteworthy that the Egyptian JV (the Arab Contractors Company and Elsewedy Electric Company signed the contract in December 2018 in Dar es Salam in Tanzania. It was in the presence of the Tanzanian President and Dr. Moustafa Madbouli- Egyptian Prime Minister. The contract value is 2.9 billion dollars. The project objectives are to generate 6307 MW/hour yearly for the consumption of 17 million Tanzanian families. In addition to these, the dam is controlling the flood to protect the environment from the risks of floods and swamps, storing about 34 billion m3 of water in a new lake to ensure permanent water availability throughout the year for agriculture, and preserving the surrounding wildlife in one of the largest forests in Africa and the whole world.