Funding approved for African hydropower project

Africa’s Regional Rusumo Falls Hydropower Project has been awarded a US$ 97.3 million loan from the African Development Bank Group’s (AfDB) African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust.

The multinational project also received a US$ 16 million grant from the Sustainable Energy for All division of the EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund to help finance part of the Burundi transmission line from the Rusumo Falls power plant.

The Rusumo Falls project will increase renewable power generating capacity and access to electricity in Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. The three countries will share the power generated equally.

The project has two components - an 80 MW hydropower generation plant, and transmission lines and substations. Construction of the transmission facilities is scheduled for completion by August 2018.