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The Nyabarongo River II Hydropower Project in Rwanda

Naba Long No. 2 Hydropower Station

The Nyabarongo River II Hydropower Project in Rwanda
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  • The Nyabarongo River II Hydropower Project in Rwanda

The Nyabarongo River II Hydropower Station in Rwanda is located on the main stream of the Nyabarongo River in the Southern and Northern Provinces, away from Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.25In addition to preventing floods in the swamps along the Nyabarongo and Akagera Rivers, the project is designed to produce a large amount of clean energy for the capital and surrounding areas for a long time. It is a large-scale, multi-functional hydropower project that mainly generates electricity and also controls floods and irrigation.2.14US dollars, the installed capacity of the power station43.5MW, reservoir capacity8.038100 million cubic meters, total construction period56months, the construction content includes the construction of dams, flood discharge systems, water diversion power generation systems and transmission lines, etc.

 

The maximum dam height of the clay core dam of the power station is approximately59.0meters. The bedrock belongs to Precambrian quartz sandstone, calcareous sandstone, argillaceous sandstone, shale, etc. Sandstone and shale are mainly interbedded, the soil has high fluidity and poor bearing capacity, and the construction difficulty is high. In order to improve the bearing capacity of the soft soil foundation and reduce the overall settlement of the upper dam body and the lower dam foundation, the project adopts a pile diameter of1.2meters of vibratory stone column foundation treatment scheme to treat the weak soil layer of the foundation.

 

2024year3month13day, the water diversion tunnel of the Nyabarongo River II Hydropower Station project in Rwanda was completed. The water diversion tunnel is382meters long, including one main tunnel and three branch tunnels. The main tunnel adopts a circular cross-section, and the branch tunnels adopt a horseshoe-shaped cross-section. The geological conditions of the water diversion tunnel are complex, and the surrounding rock is mainly shale and sandstone, with poor stability and easy softening when encountering water. The risk of roof collapse is high, and the difficulty of construction quality control is high. At the same time, the tunnel diameter is small, and mechanical slag removal is difficult. In view of the above problems, the project engineering and technical team and safety management personnel repeatedly went deep into the water diversion tunnel site and held several special seminars on safety and technical solutions, strictly implementing the approved special plan. According to the exposed surrounding rock conditions, the blasting parameters were determined through blasting tests. During the excavation process,BIMtechnology intuitively reflects the over- and under-excavation of the tunnel, and adjusts the blasting parameters in time. Through the joint efforts of all project personnel, the water diversion tunnel finally achieved two-way excavation and precise connection, successfully completing this important node target.

 

After the project is completed, the annual power generation will be2.819100 million kilowatt-hours, which will effectively improve Rwanda's energy structure, alleviate the power shortage problem, and help Rwanda become one of the first African countries to achieve universal electrification; at the same time, it will improve the flood control capacity downstream of the dam site, and the downstream210,000 hectares of swamps will be developed into fertile fields, improving Rwanda's agricultural planting model, which mainly relies on reclaiming mountainous areas, and alleviating Rwanda's food shortage problem; it will provide new impetus for the country to improve its energy structure, accelerate industrialization, stimulate economic recovery, create jobs and improve people's livelihood, and is of key significance for Rwanda to achieve its2050year vision plan and the relevant goals set in the national transformation strategy. The Nyabarongo River II Hydropower Station project is not only a vivid embodiment of the traditional friendship between the two countries, but also another important milestone in the mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation between China and Rwanda, which is of great significance.