“Today we save the people of Tanzania from shortage of power. Our envisaged industrial economy needs adequate, cheap and reliable power supply,” said Mr Magufuli.
The dam is located in the heart of the Selous, a major game reserve in the country. The reserve is home to a huge variety of species including elephants, cheetahs, giraffes and crocodiles.
Conservationists are opposed to this project saying it threatens the endangered animal species in the area especially the black rhinoceros and elephants.
Cairo-based JV Arab Contractors Company and the El Sewedy Electric, an Egyptian engineering firm, won the tender to implement the project.
The project involves a main dam and appurtenant structures, with expected reservoir length of 100 kilometers, covering an area of about 1,350 square km. The dam height is expected to rise to about 134 meters.
The grand project will cost Tanzania $3 billion.
