Page 7 - AfrElec Week 16 2021

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Rwanda’s Rusumo HPP to open in 2021

RWANDA THE first unit at the 80-MW Regional Rusumo Initiative, an intergovernmental partnership that
hydroelectric power project in Rwanda could be brings together 10 countries linked to the River
operational by the end of 2021. Nile. These are: Burundi, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethi-
Alloyce Oduor, a power engineer at the Nile opia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tan-
Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Programme zania and Uganda.
(NELSAP), told a regional forum that at last one The $340mn regional Rusumo hydropower
unit at the HPP, which straddles the border with project will generate power using water from
Tanzania and Burundi, could be switched on this Akagera river, which is one of the sources of the
year, Rwanda’s New Times reported. River Nile. It flows into Lake Victoria and then
“We envisage that by the end of this year, at later into the Nile.
least one unit will be on. The plant is in the area “Right now we are working on finally com-
of Tanzania and [the] switchyard is on Rwandan missioning that link between Uganda and
territory,” said Oduor. Rwanda. Hopefully this year, it will have been
“From $340mn funding, Tanzania has got commissioned and bring countries into one
100% full credit, while Burundi has got 100%% synchronous frequency,” he said.
grant, Rwanda has got 50% grant and 50% This project was supposed to end in February
credit,” he said. 2020, but there had been challenges, according
NELSAP is an investment programme that to the engineers.
is part of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), which The plant is expected to add about 26.6 MW
aims to facilitate cross-border projects that use to each of the beneficiary states and strengthen
the Nile Basin water resources. the regional power interconnection between the
It focuses on hydropower investment projects countries.
and regional power transmission interconnec- The NELSAP is also preparing other power
tions as well as water resources management and projects such as Uganda-DRC Congo intercon-
development projects. nection project and the Nimule-Juba transmis-
The project will benefit Rwanda, Burundi sion line.™
and Tanzania which are part of the Nile Basin

Week 16 22•April•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P7