Tanzania Energy Minister Calls on the 80MW Rusumo Project
Construction works at the 80MW Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project coming closer to completion with a progress of 94.7 % by June 2022 are managed by NELSAP of the Nile Basin Initiative on behalf of Rusumo Power Company Limited (RPCL) for the governments of Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania.
On 16th July, 2022, the Tanzania Minister of Energy and Member of the Council of Minister for RPCL, Hon. January Makamba reached out the 80MW Regional Hydro Project for the first time. He visited the power intake, the powerhouse, and the switchyard.
The main construction of the Power Plant is located at the Rusumo border between Tanzania and Rwanda, including the RPCL powerhouse residential campsite located in Tanzania at 5km from the Rusumo Border and the switchyard located in Rwanda near Rusumo border.
Tanzania Energy Minister was welcomed by the chairman of RPCL Board of Directors, Eng. Felix Gakuba, as well as Management of Rusumo Project and Owner’s Engineer. The CoM Member was taken around to the main project sites at the dam and power intake, at the powerhouse and the switchyard. Hon. Makamba took stock of the Project’s progress and expressed his appreciation of the progress recorded so far underscoring the importance of the Project to the member countries.
The overall status of the Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project is now at a combined total of 94.7% as of June 2022, with Civil works are at 96.5% and the electro-mechanical works at 92%.
The Owner’s Engineer stated that the Project started to remove fill materials of the second phase of cofferdam, temporary concreting retaining walls and installing permanent handrails. “the Project is putting in tremendous effort to complete construction works at the dam and spillway, and RPCL operators will be trained in a next future, pre-commissioning activities were done for all the inlet chamber gates and stop log, said Eng. Bosco Mugabo, Chief Resident Engineer of AECOM, the Owner’s Engineer.
The Owner’s Engineer stated that the Project started to remove fill materials of the second phase of cofferdam, temporary concreting retaining walls and installing permanent handrails. “the Project is putting in tremendous effort to complete construction works at the dam and spillway, and RPCL operators will be trained in a next future, pre-commissioning activities were done for all the inlet chamber gates and stop log”, said Eng. Bosco Mugabo, Chief Resident Engineer of AECOM, the Owner’s Engineer.
At the powerhouse, the second penstock, the concrete lift is complete, removal of internal bracing, backfilling and compaction are also completed. Excavation of the firewall foundation between transformer no 1 & no 2 was completed, lean concrete cast and rebar works have started. Slope stabilization with rip rap at the right bank of the tailrace is ongoing.
At the switchyard, leveling and graveling, concreting of internal road and the concrete topping at the control building is continuing. The switchyard control room, power and control cables termination at the different control equipment inside the control building is ongoing as well as loop test on the control cables. The erection of the 220kV towers on Tanzania side is also now complete.
At the end of the visit, the Tanzania Energy Minister and CoM Member commended the Project’s implementers on the construction progress seen at site. “I urge the Project Implementation Unit to speed up completion of works given that shareholders need to increase electricity to their respective national grids“, he said.
