Kidatu Dam

Kidatu Dam
Location in Tanzania
Official name	Bwawa la Kidatu  (Swahili)
Country	Tanzania
Location	Kidatu, Morogoro Region
Coordinates
Purpose	Power
Status	Operational
Construction began	1970s
Opening date	1975
Construction cost	$102 million (Phase I)
Owner(s)	TANESCO
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Rock-fill dam
Impounds	Great Ruaha River
Height	40 metres (130 ft)
Dam volume	800,000 m3 (28,000,000 cu ft)
Spillway capacity	6,000 m3/s (210,000 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
Catchment area	10 km2 (3.9 sq mi)
Power station
Name	Kidatu Power Station
Commission date	1975
Turbines	4× 50 MW
Installed capacity	200 MW
Source: TANESCO

Kidatu Dam is a hydroelectric dam located in the Rufiji River Basin in Tanzania. The Kidatu power plant was built in two phases under the name of Great Ruaha Power Project in the 1970s for phase one and 1980s for phase two. Phase I was completed in 1975 starting with the construction of an earth-rock fill dam, a generating capacity of 2 x 50 MW, and 220 kV transmission line to Dar es Salaam via Morogoro. Phase II, completed in 1980, involved two more 50 MW generators, and construction of a bigger storage dam at Mtera with a capacity of 3,200 million cubic metres (2,600,000 acre·ft).

The plant has undergone two major rehabilitation works. Phase I covered repairs to turbines one and two, replacement of excitation equipment and repair of a damaged generator unit. These works were executed from 1993 to 1994. The second rehabilitation commenced in 1999. Major works were computerizing the control and protection system, repair to turbines, replacement of runners on units 1and 2, generators and water ways. The project was financed by SIDA, NORAD and Tanesco at the estimated cost of about 12 Million US$.

See also

• Kidatu

Sources

• Öhman, May-Britt, Taming Exotic Beauties: Swedish Hydro Power Constructions in Tanzania in the Era of Development Assistance, 1960s - 1990s, Stockholm, 2007, PhD Thesis, http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:12267

External links

• Tanesco Website