Tanzania picks Egyptian firms for controversial dam scheme

Tanzania on Wednesday awarded a $3-billion (2.64-billion-euro) contract to two Egyptian firms to build a hydro-electric dam in a renowned nature reserve.

The 2,100-megawatt scheme will straddle the Rufiji River in the Selous Game Reserve, a 50,000-square-kilometre (19,000-square-mile) protected area which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982.

Arab Contractors and El Sewedy Electric, which won the tender for building the dam, signed the deal on Wednesday in Dar es Salaam with Tanzanian President John Magufuli and Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbuli in attendance.

In a televised speech, Magufuli dismissed fears about the scheme's impact on the environment.

"We are determined to strengthen the development of our economy. We need reliable, sufficient energy. We will not retreat," he said.

The dam would not only meet national electricity needs, it would also provide surplus power to export to neighbouring countries, he maintained.

Tanzanian Energy Minister Medard Kalemani said there was a three-year deadline for building the dam.

The scheme was first mooted more than half a century ago, but only revived after Magufuli was elected in late 2015. He has declared it to be a key goal of his presidency.

But conservationists are deeply worried about the impact on biodiversity, especially that caused by a giant reservoir that will be created when the river is dammed.

UNESCO has repeatedly called for the scheme to be scrapped, saying it is "incompatible" with the site's World Heritage status, which it earned for being one of the largest remaining wildernesses in Africa.

The immense park is a haven for elephants, black rhinoceroses, cheetahs, giraffes, hippopotamuses and crocodiles.

In 2014, elephant poaching caused UNESCO to place the reserve on its list of World Heritage in Danger. Mining and lack of funding are other major problems.

str/fal/ri/hmw

HERITAGE OIL

Related Links
Water News - Science, Technology and Politics

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

In Quebec, Canada's newest hydroelectric dams nearly ready
Havre-Saint-Pierre, Canada (AFP) Nov 21, 2018
On a frigid night, the roar of heavy machinery chipping away at rock echoes through Canada's boreal forest: in the far north of Quebec province, four massive hydroelectric dams that will produce "clean energy" for the northeastern United States are nearing completion. Flowing more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) through the wilderness, the Romaine River in the Cote-Nord region of Quebec is about to hit a literal wall at 51 degrees north latitude with the erection of the fourth and last power station ... read more