The 80MW Regional Rusumo Falls hydroelectric project in Rwanda is set to start construction soon, with the official groundbreaking ceremony to be held 30 March.
The ceremony which will take place at the Rusumo site on the Kagera River, will be attended by Ministers of Energy, Water and Finance from the three beneficiary countries; Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania. Board Members of Rusumo Power Company Limited, representatives of the World Bank and the African Development Bank, and other key stakeholders will also attend.
Construction of the power plant has been financed by the World Bank at a cost of US$340 million while the project’s transmission lines has been financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) at a cost of US$121 million.
Construction of the Power Plant is expected to last three years, to 2020. CGCOC Group Ltd-Jiangxi Water & Hydropower Construction Company Ltd Joint Venture (CGCOC - JWHC JV) of PR China will execute the civil works and supply and installation the hydro-mechanical equipment, while the Consortium Rusumo Falls Andritz Hydro GmbH (Germany) and Andritz Hydro PVT Ltd (India) will supply and install the electromechanical equipment.
The Rusumo Power Plant is being implemented by the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program Coordination Unit (NELSAP-CU), mandated by the three countries through the Special Purpose Vehicle, the Rusumo Power Company Ltd (RPCL).
