Tanzania inaugurates the Julius Nyerere hydropower plant
The 2,115MW plant on the Rufiji River is one of Africa’s largest, and was financed almost entirely by the Tanzanian government.
Key points
- President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly officially inaugurated the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant on 22 August 2026.
- Its nine turbines, all running since April 2025, produce 235MW each, for a total of 2,115MW.
- The plant cost TSh6.5 trillion and was built by Egypt’s Arab Contractors and Elsewedy Electric.
Tanzania has officially opened one of Africa's largest power plants. President Samia Suluhu Hassan inaugurated the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant on the Rufiji River on 22 August 2026, alongside Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.
The plant
- Capacity: 2,115 megawatts, from nine turbines of 235MW each.
- Dam: 131 metres high and 1,036 metres long, holding back a reservoir of about 34 billion cubic metres.
- Cost: TSh6.5 trillion, which Daily News Egypt puts at about $2.9 billion.
- Builders: an Egyptian consortium of Arab Contractors and Elsewedy Electric.
Construction began in 2019. The first turbine started generating in February 2024 and all nine were running by April 2025, before this year's formal inauguration.
Paid for at home
The Citizen reports that the project was funded almost entirely from Tanzanian government revenue, rather than foreign loans. Planning Minister Kitila Mkumbo said the achievement "demonstrates the country's economic independence".
Why it matters
The plant has transformed Tanzania's power supply and made it possible to consider electricity exports, with a transmission line to Zambia under construction. Tanzania is also one of the countries highlighted for fast progress on new connections under Mission 300. Cheaper, more reliable power supports industry and Tanzania's electric railway.
Sources
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