Rusumo power 'to reach grid by March'

The Rusumo hydropower project is expected to ease power demand in Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. PHOTO | FILE

By Ange Iliza

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Rwanda and neighbours Burundi, and Tanzania are banking on the multi-million-dollar Rusumo Hydroelectric Power plant to alleviate their electricity woes.

The plant, which is still under construction, has been funded by the World Bank to the tune of $340 million.

Situated at Kirehe in Rwanda and Ngara in Tanzania, the facility will generate up to 80 megawatts and its first transmission will supply power to Burundi before Rwanda and Tanzania by March 2023. The countries stand to gain 26 MW each by March 2023.

The three countries see the dam as an additional power source towards universal access to electricity.

Rwanda plans to give full access to electricity to its 12 million population from the current 57 percent by 2024.

Tanzania plans to double its installed power generation capacity from the current 1,600 megawatts to 3,600 megawatts by 2025 while Burundi targets to raise access for the current 11 percent, the lowest in the region, according to data by the African Development Bank.

Rwanda expects to reach 77 percent electricity access after the power plant is completed.

Rwanda currently has 228MW of installed power, according to the country’s National Strategy for Transformation.

“We plan to direct some the power into the manufacturing sector. The electricity will cut down manufacturing costs,” said the country’s Minister for Infrastructure Ernest Nsabimana.

Rwanda plans to fill the remaining supply gap through two major plants under construction: Nyabarongo II, which will generate 43MW by 2025, and Rusizi III, which is expected to generate 145MW by 2024.

Tanzania’s power demand is expected to rise to,000MW by 2025. The country targets to add 2,000MW of renewable electricity to the national grid by 2025.

Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania’s electricity ambitions have lagged due to delays in completing power generating facilities.

For example, in Tanzania, the completion of the Julius Nyerere Dam which was expected to produce electricity to power locomotive engines on the standard gauge railway was pushed from 2022 to 2024.