Design optimization at the Rusumo Falls hydropower project

The Rusumo Falls Hydropower Project is an 80 MW generating scheme developed as part of the Nile Basin Initiative/Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NBI/NELSAP). It is located on the Kagera river, which forms the natural border between Rwanda and Tanzania, and the generated power is to be delivered to the three stakeholder countries: Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania. This paper will describe the studies undertaken by Artelia and Aecom to optimize key features of the scheme. The revised concepts have been successfully integrated within the overall scheme. The tendering process concluded in 2016 and construction began in March 2017.