THE construction of the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP) in Rufiji District, Coast Region is nearing completion, with the project now 99.5 per cent complete.

The facility is set to begin injecting electricity into the national grid once the final phase of installation is finished.

The dam, which will have a total capacity of 2,115 Megawatts when all nine plants are operational, is expected to resolve Tanzania’s electricity challenges and significantly enhance power supply across the country.

Yesterday, management from the Tanzania Electric Corporation (TANESCO) visited the project site to assess progress and stress the urgency of completing the remaining installations. 

The focus is on the quick installation of the final four machines to bring the project to full capacity.

During the visit, TANESCO Executive Director Gissima Nyamo-Hanga reported that five of the machines—numbers 9, 8, 7, 6, and 5—are 100 per cent complete and had already begun generating electricity.

“We are visiting this project to monitor ongoing activities and emphasise the importance of efficient management in the areas that are still pending. Overall, the implementation is at 99.5 per cent,” Nyamo-Hanga said. 

He added: “Electricity production has already begun, with an average of 1,175 Megawatts from the five completed machines already being fed into the national grid.”

Nyamo-Hanga further noted that the installation of machine number four has reached 100 percent, and it is currently undergoing testing. Machine number three is more than 87 per cent complete.

He urged project managers to accelerate efforts on the remaining installations to ensure that the work meets the high standards outlined in the project’s design.

 He also emphasized the importance of proper supervision to ensure that the electricity generated does not cause any issues once integrated into the national grid.

Nyamo-Hanga expressed gratitude to the government, the Ministry of Energy, and all involved leaders for their consistent financial support, which has been vital to the project’s progress.

“The government’s cooperation in managing this project, along with many other ongoing projects across the country, has been outstanding,” he said. “We, as leaders at TANESCO, promise to continue managing this project with great care and precision to ensure its timely completion and to deliver economic and social benefits to Tanzania.”