Merowe Dam

Merowe Dam
Merowe Dam is located in Sudan
Merowe Dam
Sudan
LocationMerowe, Sudan
Coordinates18°40′08″N 32°03′01″E / 18.66889°N 32.05028°E / 18.66889; 32.05028
StatusOperational
Construction began2004
Opening dateMarch 3, 2009
Construction cost1.2 billion
Dam and spillways
ImpoundsRiver Nile
Height67 m (220 ft)
Length9 km (5.6 mi)
Reservoir
CreatesMerowe Reservoir
Total capacity12.5 km3 (10,100,000 acre⋅ft)
Surface area476 km2
Power Station
Turbines10 × 125 MW (168,000 hp) Francis-type[1]
Installed capacity1,250 MW (1,680,000 hp)
Annual generation5.5 TWh (20 PJ)
Website
http://www.merowedam.gov.sd/

The Merowe Dam, also known as Merowe High Dam, Merowe Multi-Purpose Hydro Project or Hamdab Dam, is a large dam near Merowe Town in northern Sudan, about 350 kilometres (220 mi) north of the capital Khartoum. Its dimensions make it the largest contemporary hydropower project in Africa. It is situated on the river Nile, close to and inundating the 4th Cataract where the river divides into multiple smaller branches with large islands in between. Merowe is a city about 40 kilometres (25 mi) downstream from the construction site at Hamdab. The main purpose for building the dam was the generation of electricity.[2]

  1. ^ "Power Plant". Merowe Dam Implementation Unit. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
  2. ^ Merowe Dam, Nile River, Republic of Sudan, NASA Earth Observatory