The Joint Venture of «The ARAB CONTRACTORS» and «ELSEWEDY ELECTRIC» celebrates the Impounding & First fill of the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project in Tanzania

CAIRO, EGYPT, December 22, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- • After two years of diversion; Tanzanian President signals return of Rufiji River to its stream
• Rufiji River Delta bids droughts, floods, and seasonal swamps forever goodbye
• First Fill of the Reservoir commences with 158,000 square kilometers of catchment area

Today, the Tanzanian President, H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan, visited the site of «Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP)» and signaled the closure of the diversion tunnel, which redirected Rufiji River back to its main stream through the lower gates of the main dam after the impounding. The surplus of the annual average river discharge, exceeding 28 billion cubic meter average, will create the new reservoir of nearly 34 billion cubic meter maximum capacity covering 158,000 square kilometers of catchment area including numerous springs, streams and tributaries.

In October 2022, the Egyptian Joint Venture of «The ARAB CONTRACTORS» and «ELSEWEDY ELECTRIC» completed the construction of the main dam’s rolled compacted concrete (RCC) works with a maximum height of 190 meters above sea level, on a 20,000 square meter foundation area, and a 1,033 meter crest. Afterwards, the Joint Venture commenced the impounding preparations, including the installation and testing of the giant gates at the diversion tunnel and the three power tunnels in addition to the lower gates in the main dam, which will maintain the minimum ecological discharge to conserve environment downstream the dam. Last week, the Joint Venture demolished the cofferdams upstream and downstream of the main dam, in parallel to ongoing installation works for the large Francis vertical turbines that are capable of producing annually approximately 6,307 gigawatt.hour of low-cost energy in Tanzania.

The impounding celebration invited by the project owner, «The Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO)», was attended by the Minister of Energy, Hon. January Makamba, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Hon. Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax, Tanzanian Senior officials, representatives of local administrations, and representatives of the sects and masses of the Tanzanian people, in addition to millions of Tanzanians who followed the event in a live broadcast.

Meanwhile, The Egyptian President delegated a high-level Governmental delegation headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Sameh Shokry, and the Minister of Housing, Utilities & Urban Development, H.E. Dr. Assem El-Gazzar, to participate in Tanzania's celebrations of this milestone achievement accomplished by Egyptian companies.

This milestone marks the Rufiji River delta forever bid farewell to the floods resulted in the loss of thousands of Tanzanians, majority were children, in the past years, as well as the seasonal swamps festering malaria and other dangerous diseases in the area. As of today, the controlled water flow will ensure sustainable agriculture and fishing activities downstream of the project. Selous Game will not suffer recurrent droughts causing the loss of its animals and unique wildlife.

Around nine thousand workers, primarily Tanzanians, participate in the project, with remarkable progress despite challenges. Completion of the installation and testing of the nine hydro-turbines is scheduled to gradually start during 2023 to connect the project to the Tanzanian 400-kilovolt national grid, which will double the grid capacity allowing electrification for millions of Tanzanian families, and achievement of an industrial revival sufficient to launch the country’s efforts towards new, sustainable development.

The Egyptian Joint Venture of «The ARAB CONTRACTORS» and «ELSEWEDY ELECTRIC» (EGX: SWDY.CA) submitted a bid in the international tender floated by the Tanzania Government on behalf of «The Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO)» for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of the 2,115 MW JNHPP at Stiegler’s Gorge on Rufiji River at Selous Game - Morogoro, Tanzania. The Egyptian Joint Venture has submitted the best technical and financial bid and has therefore signed this US$ 2.9 billion contract on 12 December 2018 in a special ceremony held at Dar Es Salaam in witness of the late Tanzanian President, his Vice President --the current President of Tanzania-- and the Egyptian Prime Minister.

Amira Azmi
Elsewedy Electric
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