Hydropower and Water Resources

 

Commissioning of One of Africa’s Largest Hydropower Plants at Merowe, Sudan

The last of ten power generating units of the Merowe hydropower plant, each having a capacity of 125 MW, was successfully commissioned on the 25th of January, 2010.  The commissioning of the first two power generating units took place in early March 2009.

Since commissioning of the first two power generating units in March 2009, more than 2,200 GWh of clean and “green” electric energy has been generated by the Merowe hydropower plant already during the so-called “build-up period”. All this energy was fed into the national electric grid of the Sudan. Applying the local power tariffs of the Sudan, this generated energy represents a monetary value of more than 250 million US dollars.  The local newspapers describe the Merowe dam and its hydropower plant, which has a total installed capacity of 1,250 MW, as “Sudan’s Project of the Century”.

In the year 2003 Lahmeyer International was awarded all tender, design, management, cost and progress control and quality assurance tasks, up to the end of the contractual warranty period of the plant.  This period is scheduled to end in the middle of the year 2012.

In January 2009 a further contract was awarded to Lahmeyer International by the Dams Implementation Unit (DIU) covering advice on management, operation and maintenance of the entire facilities and plant, including training of the Sudanese O&M engineers.

Merowe Dam and Hydropower Station