The last unit of the Huzibazi hydropower station in Burundi has completed a 72-hour trial operation, the Global Times learned Sunday from its designer, Chengdu Engineering Corporation under PowerChina, noting that the largest China-aided hydropower station was put into operation and will increase Burundi’s power supply by about a third in total.
The Huzibazi hydropower station is located in the lower reaches of the Huzibazi River in the south of the country’s capital, Bujumbura, with an installed capacity of 15,000 kilowatts. The hydropower station was surveyed and designed by Chengdu Engineering Corporation and constructed by Sinohydro Bureau 14 Corporation.
The Hujibazi hydropower station will increase Burundi’s power supply by about a third, greatly alleviating the country’s power shortage and playing an important role in improving local industrial production, promoting the development of Burundi’s national economy and improving people’s living standards.
Despite poor geological conditions and the impact of COVID-19, the Chinese construction company has continuously improved its efficiency by optimizing construction technology, which has been praised by the Burundian government.
Furthermore, hundreds of local workers were employed during the construction of the power station, and several public welfare activities were carried out in the villages where the power station is located.
Known as the “Three Gorges” of Burundi, the Huzibazi hydropower station is highly valued by the Chinese and Burundian governments, with the then Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza attending the groundbreaking ceremony in 2019 and saying the project will expand the areas of cooperation between the two countries and raise the level of bilateral relations.
The Huzibazi power station will possess a large proportion of the total installed capacity in Burundi and is very important to Burundi’s future development, Burundi’s former Energy Minister Come Manirakiza told Xinhua ahead of the ceremony in 2019.
The Huzibazi power station will meet the needs of Burundi for power generation and future development, the media outlet earlier quoted the former Chinese Ambassador to Burundi Li Changlin as saying, noting that China has joined Burundi’s construction in the sectors of agriculture, education and health.
The largest China–aided hydropower station in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi, has gone into operation. Source: Chengdu Engineering Corporation
