Tanzania: Samia To inaugurate $3.35 Billion Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant On Aug. 22

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan is expected to inaugurate the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP), a 2,115-megawatt (MW) power plant, on Aug. 22 at the project site in Rufiji in the Pwani region, Energy Minister Deogratius John Ndejembi said on Friday.

The inauguration will be attended by government officials, guests from Tanzania and abroad, members of the public and development partners, Ndejembi told journalists in Dar es Salaam.

“The inauguration of the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project is a historic event and an important milestone in Tanzania’s journey toward building a reliable energy system,” Ndejembi said.

The project, Tanzania’s largest power-generation investment financed by the government, cost about 7.452 trillion Tanzanian shillings ($3.35 billion), he said.

Construction of the project began in June 2019 and was completed in March 2025, according to Ndejembi.

The plant has increased electricity supplied to Tanzania’s national grid, helping to ease generation shortages that had previously contributed to power rationing, he said.

As of May 31, 2026, the plant had generated about 44.9% of all electricity supplied to the national grid over the preceding 12 months, Ndejembi said.

The project has an associated reservoir with a storage capacity of 33 billion cubic metres of water, about 10 times the capacity of the Mtera Dam, he said.

The government says the project is also expected to support flood control along the Rufiji River, irrigation, tourism and water supply.

Ndejembi said the investment was in line with the objectives of Tanzania’s Development Vision 2050 and the government’s efforts to expand electricity generation and strengthen the national grid.

The project is expected to support industrial production, investment and economic growth, he added.