Name and Location
Rusumo Falls hydroelectric project, Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania.

Client
The power plant will be jointly financed and owned by the governments of Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania. A special purpose vehicle – the Rusumo Power Company – jointly owned by the three governments will be the owner of the hydropower plant facilities.

The associated transmission lines will be owned by each country’s respective power utility and will be separately financed by the respective countries through a loan from the African Development Bank and other finance institutions.

Project Description
Rusumo Falls is one of the nine hydropower projects identified by the Programme for Infrastructure Development for Africa as a priority project under its energy infrastructure programme.
The aim of the 80 MW Rusumo Falls hydroelectric project is to increase the supply of electricity to the national grids of Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania.

There are five project components.

The first component comprises civil works for access to and construction of the power facilities, offices and housing.

The second component encompasses mechanical and electrical works for hydromechanical equipment, generation substations, turbine-generator sets and auxiliaries, , as well as power-complex control and communications equipment.

The third component will finance the environmental and social management plan (ESMP) and the resettlement action plan (RAP).

The fourth component will finance the owner’s engineers to assist with the overall project management and implementation of the ESMP and RAP.

The final component consists of the construction of three transmission lines from Rusumo to Gitega, in Burundi; Kigali, in Rwanda; and to Nyakanazi, in Tanzania.

These transmission lines will connect the power station at Rusumo with the national grids of Rwanda and Burundi and supply electricity to the western mining provinces of Tanzania.

Value
$469-million.

Duration
Not stated.

Latest Developments
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has committed $113-million for the development of the Rusumo Falls hydropower project.

About $97.3-million has been allocated from the African Development Fund and the Nigeria Trust Fund for the multinational project, while an additional $16-million will be sourced from the Sustainable Energy for All window of the European Union Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund.

Rusumo Falls is one of the nine hydropower projects identified by the Programme for Infrastructure Development for Africa as a priority project under its energy infrastructure programme.

The project will enable Rwanda and Tanzania to displace some of the energy generated from high-cost imported fuel with cheaper hydropower, thereby reducing the current electricity tariff, while Burundi would be able to supply 50% of its current peak power demand.
Key Contracts and Suppliers
World Bank and AfDB (loan finance).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
World Bank, tel +1 202 458 4500 or fax +1 202 522 1500.