Rusumo hydropower plant to boost electricity access to Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania

The Rusumo hydropower plant is under construction on the Rusumo Falls at the border of Tanzania and Rwanda. The plant is likely to be ended by 2020.

The Rusumo hydropower plant, once completed, is expected to benefit over a million people in Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda. Rwanda's minister for infrastructure, Amb. Claver Gatete told the media that the deadline for the project will be met. Gatete further said that it will boost Rwanda's access to electricity by 4 percent as 467,000 households will be connected to the national grid. The project will also enhance Burundi's access to electricity by 5 percent and 0.34 percent for Tanzania.

Contract for the construction was given to Chinese firm CGCOC Group Ltd. The Beijing-headquartered company ranks among the 100 largest contractors based on international projects according to the annual 'Engineering News Record' ranking. The hydro power features a run-of-the-river design that eliminates the need for constructing a reservoir while minimizing social and environmental impacts, Construction Review Online noted.

The concrete gated dam will have a height of 12 meters and spillway structure with three water passages. Water intake and the head race tunnel of the plant will be 11meters wide and 14meters high with shotcrete and rock bolts support system. The project is jointly funded by the World Bank and the African Development Bank to a tune of USD 468 million, The New Times reported.