‘80MW Rusumo Falls hydropower project is 99.9 percent complete’

20Dec 2023
The Guardian Reporter
DAR ES SALAAM
News
The Guardian
 ‘80MW Rusumo Falls hydropower project is 99.9 percent complete’

DEPUTY Prime Minister, Dr Doto Biteko has said that the 80MW Rusumo Falls hydropower project, which is jointly implemented by three countries—Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi has reached 99.9 per cent and the countries had already started getting electricity from the project.

DEPUTY Prime Minister, Dr Doto Biteko

Dr Biteko said this over the weekend in Mwanza when he was chairing a meeting at the level of Ministers of energy where he is the chairman of the ministers in charge of the project from the three countries.

“We are satisfied with the good progress of the project so far, we congratulate the Board and Executives from the Rusumo Power Company Limited (RPCL) and the contractors for the management and implementation of this project," he said.

The deputy premier, who doubles as Energy minister said that the ministers have agreed that the project should be launched in March 2024 so they have asked the contractor to complete the project early and issue a certificate of completion of the project.

Dr Biteko said the launch will be held in the project site, while the host of the activity is Tanzania.

He said that the project is important for all three countries because these countries still have the challenge of reliable access to electricity, so the completion of the project will reduce those challenges and increase stability on the grid.

He lauded President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye and Rwandan President Paul Kagame for supporting the project which is almost completed.

He also commended the various stakeholders who led the project to be implemented including the World Bank (WB) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) and invited them to invest in other power generation projects that are expected to be implemented in the country.

Eng. Seleman Khamisi, Permanent secretary in the Burundian ministry of Oil, Energy and Minerals said that all three countries have agreed that the project should be launched in March and that the country will benefit from the 27 megawatts that will come from the project, which will help reduce the challenges of accessing electricity in the country.

The Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project (RRFP) is a hydropower project under joint development by Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda through a commonly owned Rusumo Power Company (RPCL). The joint development was entered by the three governments through a Tripartite Agreement signed on February16th, 2012. The project is located at Rusumo Falls, at the common border of Rwanda and Tanzania on River Kagera. The power production facilities are located entirely on the south side of the bank of the Kagera River in Tanzania, while the substation is located on the northern side of the bank of the river in Rwanda.

 

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