Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Saturday joined Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan to inaugurate the Julius Nyerere Hydroelectric Dam and Power Station, one of Africa’s largest dam projects.
Madbouly attended the ceremony on behalf of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, accompanying Hassan on an inspection tour of the facility, which was built by an Egyptian consortium comprising Arab Contractors and Elsewedy Electric.
The power station has nine turbines, each with a capacity of 235 megawatts, for a total generating capacity of 2,115 megawatts, according to the Egyptian government.
The delegation also inspected the project’s 400-kilovolt switchyard, which connects the generated electricity to Tanzania’s national grid through the ShalenzI 1 and Shalenzi 2 transmission circuits.
The main concrete dam stretches 1,036 metres and rises 131 metres above the Rufiji River. It holds a reservoir with a capacity of around 34 billion cubic metres and includes seven outlets to regulate and discharge water flows.
Madbouly and Hassan unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the project’s official opening and the start of operations. They were joined by senior officials from both countries and representatives of the Egyptian companies involved in the project.
The Egyptian delegation included Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hani Sewilam, Housing Minister Randa El-Minshawy, Alexandria Governor Ayman Attia and senior representatives of Arab Contractors and Elsewedy Electric.
The Tanzanian delegation included Vice President Emmanuel Nchimbi, Zanzibar President Hussein Mwinyi, Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba, and senior parliamentary, judicial and energy officials.re projects across Africa.
