El Gazzar: The project is being monitored periodically by President El-Sisi, given the expected role of the dam and the plant in providing the necessary electric power to the Republic of Tanzania.
The completion of the main bridge linking the two banks of Rufiji River which is considered the largest bridge in Tanzania in terms of tonnage, will be one of the main parts of the international road linking Tanzania and Mozambique.
Dr. Assem El Gazzar – the Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, inspected the work progress of 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. He was accompanied by the Egyptian Ambassador to Tanzania, Mr. Sherif Abdel Hamid Ismail, Major Gen. Mahmoud Nassar – Head of the Central Agency for Reconstruction, Eng. Ahmed El Assar – CEO and Chairman of the Arab Contractors Company, Eng. Ahmed El Sewedy – President and Chairman of Elsewedy Electric, and the JV officials.
The Minister of Housing confirmed that the Egyptian state pays great attention to the implementation of this huge project, which embodies the distinguished relations between Egypt and Tanzania. He stated that the project is monitored periodically by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi given the expected role of the dam and the plant in providing the necessary electric power for Tanzania, controlling the flooding of Rufiji River, and preserving the environment. He explained that this project confirms the ability and capabilities of Egyptian companies to implement major projects, especially for our brothers in the continent of Africa.
The minister explained that this visit comes within the framework of the continuous field follow-up of the progress of work on Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant and Dam, and conveyed a message to Tanzanian officials confirming the interest of the Egyptian state in this project to achieve development for our brothers in Tanzania.
Dr. Assem El Gazzar and his entourage toured the various components of the project, and listened to a detailed explanation of the work progress, as the implementation rate of the main dam reached 100%, the hydropower generation plant reached 77%, the intake works reached 100%, there were 3 tunnels for the passage of the necessary water to the turbine building at 100%, an electricity interconnection station at 99%, 4 saddle dams to form the water reservoir at 95%, a permanent concrete bridge on Rufiji River 100%, the construction of permanent roads to facilitate movement and link the components of the project at 60%, and the permanent camp to the customer at 98%.
The Minister pointed out that the project consists of a main dam with a total length of 1025 m, which is complete, and a capacity to impound approximately 34 billion m3 of water. Besides, the construction of a hydropower plant with a capacity of 2115 MWThe plant is located on Rufiji River in Selous Game Reserve at Morogoro, south-west of Dar es Salam (the largest city and commercial capital of Tanzania), where 14 billion m3 of water were stored in the dam lake. The water reached a level of 164 degrees above sea level, as the minimum operating level for turbines is 163 degrees above sea level, and the main gates of the dam have been tested.
The JV officials declared that the concrete works for the main dam amount to 1.4 million m3 of compacted concrete. The main gates of the dam have been installed, and the finishing and testing work is underway. Work on the main intakes of the water-connecting channels to the turbine building is progressing according to schedule. Besides, the incision of the main channels inside the mountain is accomplished with lengths exceeding 1500 m, and the concrete lining work for the 3 main channels is complete, as is the installation of the gates for the intakes. The work on the saddle dams is proceeding according to the planned rates. As the amount of backfill is 5.5 million m3, along with 350,000 m3 of concrete, where the work on the main body of the debris dams 2, 3, and 4 is completed, the work is underway in the concrete saddle dam No. 1. The work is ongoing in the main structure of the turbine building, which is one of the most important units of the project, where the civil works of the turbine assembly building (Erection Bay) have been completed, and 3 giant cranes have been installed, with a load of 400 tons per winch, in preparation for receiving the main units of the turbines, in conjunction with the installation of 9 turbines for the 27 transformers, towers, and interconnection lines between the turbine building station and the interconnection station. The first phase of concrete work has also been completed, and the interior and exterior finishing of the building are ongoing.
The main bridge linking the two banks of Rufiji River has been completed, which is one of the main components of Julius Nyerere Dam project due to its importance for transporting parts for turbines of large sizes and weights. Therefore, this bridge is the largest bridge in Tanzania in terms of tonnage, as it allows With loads of up to 300 tons and a length of 250 meters, it is built on only two columns, with a height of more than 50 meters above the surface of the river, which makes this bridge one of the most important construction landmarks in the country, especially since it will be one of the main parts of the international road linking Tanzania and Mozambique.
It is noteworthy that the Egyptian JV (the Arab Contractors Company and Elsewedy Electric Company) signed the contract in December 2018 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was in the presence of the former Tanzanian President and Dr. Moustafa Madbouli, the Egyptian Prime Minister. The contract value is $2.9 billion to implement a dam and a hydropower plant with a capacity of 2115 MW. The project objectives are to generate 6307 MW/hour annually 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.