With the honor of the presence of the President of Tanzania and the participation of the Prime Minister on behalf of His Excellency the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt:
The Egyptian JV “Arab Contractors” and “Elsewedy Electric” celebrated the official inauguration of Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant and Dam project on Rufiji River, implemented for the benefit of the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) with investments amounting to approximately $2.9 billion. The inauguration was attended by Dr. Mostafa Madbouly - Prime Minister, on behalf of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El Sisi - President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and honored by Her Excellency President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan - President of the United Republic of Tanzania, and in the presence of the Ministers of Water Resources and Housing, a high-level delegation of officials from both countries, and representatives of the Egyptian JV implementing the project. The Prime Minister affirmed that this historic project embodies the depth of the fraternal ties and strategic partnership between Egypt and Tanzania and is a model of African-African cooperation. It comes as a practical translation of the Egyptian state’s keenness, under the leadership of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, to support the comprehensive development process and the development of infrastructure in the countries of the African continent. He stressed that the completion of this developmental edifice demonstrates the leadership of national companies and their ability to implement giant development projects, transfer and localize expertise and build local capacities, thus providing an inspiring model for African integration and constructive developmental cooperation between the countries of the continent. For his part, Eng. Ahmed El Assar - Chairman of the Arab Contractors Company, stated that Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant and Dam project is one of the largest dams in the African continent and a new station and starting point that confirms the global status of the company and its leadership among the few companies specializing in the implementation of major dam and hydroelectric power projects. He explained that the main concrete dam extends for a length of 1049 meters and a height of 131 meters above the foundation across Rufiji River, where the roller-compacted concrete works took 723 continuous days and the production rate at its peak reached about 5,000 m3/day. Eng. Ahmed El Assar added that the project includes a water reservoir with a capacity of about 34 billion m3 and 7 water outlets to control floods, protect the environment and provide water throughout the year for agriculture and fishing purposes. He pointed out that the work system included supplementary dams (saddle dams), the power generation station, electricity transmission lines, roads, tunnels, bridges, and support facilities. It required the implementation of about 15 million m3 of excavation and backfilling, nearly 3 million m3 of concrete, and about 5.3 million m3 of backfill material for the saddle dams, in addition to about 90,000 tons of reinforcing steel, by the hands of about 13,000 workers (most of them Tanzanian workers in addition to Egyptian cadres), which reflects the company’s journey that extends for more than seventy years and its presence abroad in 30 countries in the sectors of roads, bridges, water, sanitation, energy, ports, housing and other areas of infrastructure as a bridge for African cooperation. In a related context, Eng. Ahmed El Sewedy - CEO and Managing Director of El Sewedy Electric, affirmed that the project represents an engineering achievement that embodies a shared African vision that has been transformed into a sustainable national landmark to serve the Tanzanian people, with a generating capacity of 2,115 megawatts across 9 electricity generation units (with a capacity of 235 mw per unit), and an annual production of approximately 6,307 gigawatt-hours, enabling the provision of clean and renewable electricity to more than 60 million Tanzanian citizens, and supporting energy security, long-term industrial and economic growth, reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels, and adapting to climate change. Eng. Ahmed El Sewedy pointed out that the company’s contribution focused on implementing and installing electrical and electromechanical systems and components and interconnection networks in accordance with the highest health and safety standards for individuals and the environment; including the installation of more than 1,000 km of electrical cables, more than 235,000 radial inches of pipe systems, and heavy lifting operations totaling more than 30,000 tons. The CEO and Managing Director of Elsewedy Electric noted that this success represents an extension of Elsewedy Electric’s presence in Tanzania through its integrated cable manufacturing complex in Kigamboni, Dar es Salaam (built on an area of 120,000 m2, with a capacity of up to 1,300 tons of metals per month, and providing about 200 direct job opportunities and 500 indirect job opportunities), in addition to supporting talent development and building local capabilities by organizing business and trade awareness sessions in cooperation with 4 universities annually, hosting about 40 graduate trainees, and providing practical training for nearly 50 students. For his part, Eng. Wael Hamdi - Vice President of Elsewedy Electric Group, stated that the completion of the project embodies the strength of African partnerships and cooperation based on trust, experience and ability to implement in the face of broad engineering and technical challenges, which supports the path of sustainable development and opens new horizons for a more prosperous future for Tanzania and the African continent.