Two contracts, worth US $75M have been signed for the preliminary construction of the Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project.
The power project is expected to generate 80 megawatts of electricity .The primary contract was signed between Rusumo Power Company Limited (RPCL), and a conglomerate of contractors, including CGCOC Group Ltd – Jiangxi Water and Hydropower Construction Company Ltd Joint Venture (CGCOC – JWHC JV).
The Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Programme Coordination Unit signed on behalf of Rusumo Power Company Limited.
The first contract covers civil works, including delivery and installation of hydro-mechanical equipments (the design, dam, waterways, power station and other related civil engineering works.
The second contract was signed between Rusumo Power Company Limited and a conglomerate of companies, such as German company Rusumo Falls Andritz Hydro GmbH and Indian company Andritz Hydro PVT Ltd, to handle mechanical and electrical works for energy production.
The generated hydroelectric power will be divided equally among Burundi, Tanzania and Rwanda.
Eng. Elicad Elly Nyabeeya, Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Programme Coordination Unit regional coordinator, said they were pleased with the measure to progress the project.
The civil works will officially begin at Rusumo site in January 2017, and go on for three years. The official start of the construction phase is set for the final week of January and to be witnessed by Energy, Water and Finance Ministers from stakeholder nations, the RPCL board members from respective shareholder states, and other project chief stakeholders.
The Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project is a Nile Basin proposal key scheme primed through its investment arm the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Programme Coordination Unit.
Construction of the 80-megawatt Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric development is funded by the World Bank costing about US $340M, whilst the transmission lines that will link the power plant to the national grids in the three states are funded by African Development Bank (AfDB) costing US $121M.
The regimes of Burundi, Tanzania and Rwanda decided to mutually develop the project and supervise the hydroelectric power plant through Rusumo Power Company Ltd owned by the three countries.