https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Tanzania to sign deal this week for $3bn power plant – President

12th December 2018

By: Reuters

  

Font size: - +

Tanzania will sign a deal this week for the construction of a $3-billion hydroelectric power plant, the President said in remarks broadcast on state television on Tuesday.

President John Magufuli did not name the company awarded the contract for the power plant and dam to be built in the Selous Game Reserve, a UN-designated world heritage site in southern Tanzania. Government sources told Reuters the contract would be signed with Egypt's Arab Contractors.

Magufuli said the East African country was moving ahead with the project due to improved revenue collection by the government, without giving details.

The 2 100 MW project would more than double the country's power generation capacity. But the project's location is in a World Heritage site and has faced opposition from conservationists. They have said the construction of a dam on a major river that runs through the Selous Game Reserve could affect wildlife and their habitats downstream.

The government invited bids in August last year for the project at Stiegler's Gorge which is in the Selous Game Reserve.

Egypt's El Sewedy Electric Co has said it will also participate in the construction of the dam. Arab Contractors will have a 55% stake in the project and El Sewedy 45%, Ahmed Hassouna, El Sewedy's head of marketing, said on Tuesday.

Covering 50 000 km2, the Selous Game Reserve is one of the largest protected areas in Africa, according to Unesco. It is known for its elephants, black rhinos and giraffes, among many other species.

The World Wide Fund for Nature conservation group said in a report in July last year the proposed large-scale hydropower dam "puts protected areas of global importance, as well as the livelihoods of over 200 000 people who depend upon the environment, at risk."

"The impact on Tanzania's largest river would affect many ecosystem services it provides. It would affect tourism in Selous downstream in some of the most abundant wildlife areas in the game reserve,” it said.

Edited by Reuters

Comments

Showroom

Rio-Carb
Rio-Carb

Our Easy Access Chute concept was developed to reduce the risks related to liner maintenance. Currently, replacing wear liners require that...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
VEGA Controls SA (Pty) Ltd
VEGA Controls SA (Pty) Ltd

For over 60 years, VEGA has provided industry-leading products for the measurement of level, density, weight and pressure. As the inventor of the...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.104 0.156s - 173pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now