Eng. Ahmed El Assar - Senior Vice Chairman of the Arab Contractors Company, and Eng. Wael Hamdi - Vice President of Elsewedy Electric Company visited Tanzania to follow up on 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. They were accompanied by Eng. Hossam El Reefy – AC Board Member, Eng. Darem Debsi - Representative of the JV, Eng. Ayman Attia and Eng. Rafea Youssef- Deputy Managers of the JV, Eng. Mohamed Samaha - Project Director for Civil Works, Eng. Mohamed Zaki - Project Director for Electromechanical Works, and a delegation from the Tanzanian Ministry of Energy.
This visit comes within the framework of following up on final work to start filling the main reservoir before the end of the current month; the main dam and the intake works were completed, and the main gates of the dam and the intake were tested.
It is noteworthy that Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant and Dam is monitored periodically by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of the Republic, and under the supervision of the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, within the framework of the distinguished relations between the two countries, Egypt’s interest in African affairs, the great importance of the project for the Tanzanian people, and the expected role of the dam and plant in providing energy to Tanzania, controlling the flood of Rufiji River, and preserving the environment. This project also embodies the ability and potential of Egyptian companies to implement major projects, especially in Africa.
The project consists of a main dam with a total length of 1025m at crest level and 134m height, with a capacity to impound approximately 34 billion m3 of water. Besides, the construction of a hydropower plant with a capacity of 2115mw. The plant is located on Rufiji River in Selous Game Reserve at Morogoro, south-west of Dar es Salam (largest city and commercial capital of Tanzania).
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. 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.
It is worth noting that the total number of workers in the project has reached 13,000, and 90 million working hours.