Unexpected Outcomes for Sudan's 1,250-Megawatt Hydropower Project

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Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Hydropower dams are set to be an important element in the provision of additional power capacity as Africa develops its infrastructure and industry, and its population continues to move into cities and to adopt urban lifestyles. Hydropower is seen as the major "clean" source of power, as countries face the challenge of emissions control through the use of renewables.

But problems arise around most projects as they begin. These include geological stability; the use of headwaters that neighboring countries claim; and damage to the livelihoods of populations who live downstream from hydropower dams and use the water in rivers and natural lakes for fishing and irrigation.

Sudan is working on the Roseiris Dam Project with the aim of adding power to the grid and serving the irrigation needs of the agriculture sector. The new dam also will boost power output at the country's second-largest dam, Merowe, which will benefit from higher Nile water levels.

Merowe is the first of a series of 10 dams already in operation, under construction or that have been given the go-ahead by the government of Sudan. Chinese companies are heavily involved in the construction and funding of the projects.

Merowe plays a key role in the development of Sudan, with 10 turbines producing 1,250 megawatts (MW) and a canal system that enables the large-scale development of agriculture. In 2008, the country's total energy consumption was 750 MW, and only 15% of the population had access to electricity. Now, with Merowe, 30% have power access. But the project has created some unexpected negative outcomes.

The location of Merowe has been questioned by critics of the project, who point to high rates of evaporation in the area, where temperature can easily reach 50 degrees Celsius, reports the United Kingdom's Telegraph. More than 8% of the water brought into Sudan by the Nile is lost when the river becomes stagnant. Experts point out that if the dam had been built in another location, such as the Ethiopian side of the Nile, water loss would have been reduced by a factor of seven. Another reported criticism is that studies measuring the environmental and social impact of the dam were carried out after building had already begun.

"The research was superficial and incomplete," said Asim al-Moghrabi, Sudan's leading environmental expert on the Nile. "We are repeating the mistakes made in Egypt on the Aswan Dam, which was an ecological disaster." When it was built in the 1960s, the Aswan High Dam reduced flooding and made more land available for agriculture, but at the same time caused severe degradation in soil quality and erosion of the delta coastline, destroying the lagoons that supported the Egyptian fishing industry.

The Merowe project has seen the relocation of 12,000 families, a total of 96,000 people. Construction has required 25 million cubic meters of rocks and 1.5 million cubic meters of concrete. Between 3,000 and 5,000 Chinese have worked on the project over six years. Merowe was officially opened three years ago, but a group of Chinese workers is engaged in the completion of some minor building projects.

For related information, see January 10, 2013, article - Alstom Contracted for Phase 1 of Ethiopia's 6,000 Megawatt Hydro Project.

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