HYDROPOWER-

Elsewedy kicks off operations at Tanzanian hydropower plant: Egypt’s Elsewedy Electric has begun operating a 750 MW phase of its Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant (JNHPP) after successfully testing the third hydro turbine generator unit, according to a statement. JNHPP now provides electricity to 45% of Tanzanians with three hydro turbine units connected to the national grid. The project aims to reach 2.15 GW within the next year.

This has been in the works: Elsewedy Electric and Arab Contractors activated the first of nine hydro turbines on their USD 2.9 bn project in January when construction on the dam — spanning over 1 km with a 34 bn cbm storage capacity — had been completed. Tanzania’s Energy and Minerals Ministry connected the first 235 MW of the project in February and the plant was announced to be 98% completed in May.

Background: The Tanzanian government kicked off the first filling of the project late in 2022, and after successful testing, the consortium achieved a rotating speed of 150 rpm with a 50 hertz frequency from operations on the first turbine, which had a capacity of 235 MW.

The plant has some opposition: JNHPP – located at the UN World Heritage – sparked concern from conservationists in the country. Environmentals have voiced opposition to the plant on fears it could threaten wildlife and their habitats downstream, especially as the Selous reserve is home to concentrated populations of diverse wildlife.

OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS MORNING-

  • Morocco to get an EV industrial unit: Morocco’s government signed an MoU with Moroccan EV company eMoveVehiculesCompany to establish a MAD 50 mn EV industrial manufacturing unit. (MAP)
  • Oman develops a solar cell cleaning robot: Oman’s Robotics and AIDevelopment Lab and Petroleum Development Oman developed a robot for automatically cleaning solar panels. The robot, which operates on solar power and uses sensors for data collection, has been tested successfully, cleaning over 700 solar panels. (Oman Daily)
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