Minister of Housing Dr. Assem El Gazzar, visited Tanzania to follow up 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 Major Gen. Mohamed Essam – Assistant of the Housing Minister, Major Gen. Mahmoud Nassar – Head of the Central Agency for Reconstruction, Eng. Sayed Farouk – CEO and Chairman of the Arab Contractors Company, Eng. Ahmed El Assar – Senior Vice Chairman of the Arab Contractors Company, Eng. Wael Hamdy – Senior Vice Chairman of Elsewedy Electric, Eng. Hossam El Reefy – AC Board Member and Eng. Hesham Hegazy - CEO of Elsewedy Electric PSP.
The Minister confirmed Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi’s keenness to regularly follow up on the project in light of its great significance to the Tanzanian people. This visit comes to follow up on work on the ground, as well as to convey a message to Tanzanian officials emphasizing the interest of the Egyptian state with this project to achieve development in Tanzania.
The Minister said that the implementation rates of the project have achieved a noticeable increase, as all elements of the project have reached advanced implementation stages; the majority of the construction work on the body of the main dam has almost been completed. Meanwhile, work is underway to construct the concrete structure on the top of the dam, where the main gates of the spillway will be installed, he added.
Work on the main intakes of the channels connecting the water to the building that houses the turbines is proceeding in accordance with the planned rates, El Gazzar said. This includes digging the three main channels which are more than 1500m and lined with concrete, he added. Work at the turbine assembly building (Erection Bay) has also been completed and three huge cranes have been installed to receive the main turbine units. Besides, the installation of the turbines, one of the most important components of the project, are now underway and according to the highest quality standards.
The main bridge extending over the Rufiji River has been completed as part of the dam project, which helps move the weighty turbine units between the two banks of the river, El Gazzar said.
It has the largest capacity of any bridge in Tanzania, capable of holding up to 300 tons. The bridge is 250m and is established on 50m pillars, which makes this bridge one of the most important construction landmark in the country, especially as it will be one of the main parts of the international road linking Tanzania and Mozambique after the project completion.
Work on one of the three saddle dams – up to 15-kilometre-long saddle dams that increase the capacity of the reservoir – has been completed, while work on the two others are nearly complete despite challenges the work team faced during the rainy season and work is currently underway according to the planned rates of the emergency spillway, which is approximately 2 kilometers, to reach the appropriate level that allows the start of the initial filling of the dam lake at the beginning of next year.
Also, the installation of the electrical switchyard, which connects the dam to the Tanzanian power grid, is nearing completion after the completion of the construction works of these units, and the operating trials of the main panels feeding the network have already begun.
It is worth noting that the project includes the construction of a 1,025m dam at the top, with a height of 131m. The dam’s lake has a storage capacity of 34 billion m3. It also includes a 2,115-megawatt hydroelectric power plant. The station is located on the side of the Rufiji River in a nature reserve in the “Morgoro” area southwest of Dar es Salaam (the commercial capital) and the largest city in Tanzania.
the project consists of 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 linking the project components - permanent client camp.
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 former 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.