Merowe Dam’s Project is a multipurpose scheme for hydropower generation. It is basically intended for generating hydropower. The Dam civil work is located at the fourth cataract on the River Nile at Merowe. There has been many feasibility studies done on the project in the past decades. The most recent studies were conducted by Monenco-Agra Company, Canada, in 1993, and the Hydro-project Institute, Russia, in 1999. The project has a high priority in the National Comprehensive Strategy, because the country is suffering from an acute shortage of electricity power, which impedes the economical and social development. 

Aerial photo for the Dam's location before construction

Objectives of the Project:

This national project is build to achieve the following objectives:

1. 1. To generate electricity power to meet the increasing demand for purposes of economical and social development.

2. 2. To provide relatively cheap electricity power to improve the irrigated agriculture in the country.

3. 3. To benefit from the flow irrigation for the upper stream river to achieve agricultural development, and to improve the breeds of agricultural seeds.

4. 4. To use the electricity to pump up the ground water and use it to expand the agricultural sector

5. 5. To establish industrial projects, food industry projects, and mining fields that depend on the electricity as a main energy source.

6. 6. To introduce the fish industry in the Dam’s lake.

7. 7. To protect the downstream areas from the destructive floods.

8. 8. To improve the river transportation

9. 9. To improve the living standards for the local residents in the area of the project, by creating investments and new job opportunities.

10. 10. To reduce the pressure on the current dams, especially with regard to the struggle for water use for irrigation or power generation.

The arrow points the dam's location before construction

  Dam Location:

Merowe Dam Project is situated on the Nile River, close to the 4th Cataract where the river divides into multiple smaller branches with large islands in between, near Merowe city, which is 350 km to the north of Khartoum. The dam is located at longitude 32 E, and latitude 19 N.