China News: Chinese Companies Sign Contract with Sudanese Gov ‘t on Heightening Dam on Blue Nile

Chinese Companies Sign Contract with Sudanese Gov ‘t on Heightening Dam on Blue Nile

Sudan has contracted two Chinese companies to raise the height of Sudan’s Roseires Dam. China’s involvement in this project is significant, given that the Roseires Dam supplies more than 70 percent of Sudan’s hydropower and that China has also been criticized for ignoring not only Darfur, but also the human rights abuses and environmental consequences arising from Sudan’s dam projects. From Trading Markets:

The Sudanese government and two Chinese companies on Sunday signed a contract of heightening the Roseires Dam on the Blue Nile River at the cost of 396 million dollars.

Sudanese President Omer Al-Bashir and a number of cabinet ministers and high-ranking officials attended the signing ceremony held at the Friendship Hall, as well as representatives of the two Chinese companies — the Sinahydro Corporation and the China International Water and Electric Corporation.

Addressing the ceremony, Sudanese Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Kamal Ali Mohammed said . . . the heightening of the Russaires Dam is the second phase aimed to increase the stored water from 3 billion to 7.3 billion cubic meters and increase the electricity power generation by 50 percent, adding that the heightening of Roseires Dam will double the electricity generation of the Sennar Dam and will boost the capability of the Merowe Dam on the Nile River.

AFP provides more information on the dam project:

State-owned China Water and Electric Corp (CWE) and Sino-Hydro signed a 400-million dollar (255-million euro) deal on Sunday to raise the height of Sudan’s oldest dam, in the southern Blue Nile state.

The capacity of the Roseires dam, built by the British colonial power in the early 20th century to irrigate Sudan’s cotton fields, will rise from four billion cubic metres (140 billion cubic feet) to seven billion cubic metres (245 billion cubic feet).

CWE is involved in the construction of the controversial Merowe dam in northern Sudan, where at least four people were killed in June when police dispersed residents protesting the project.