New Assiut Barrage Hydropower Plant

The New Assiut Barrage Hydropower Plant is a strategic water and energy infrastructure project constructed on the River Nile to replace the old Assiut Barrage while improving irrigation control and hydropower generation.¹ The project includes a run-of-river hydropower facility with an installed capacity of approximately 32 MW, supplying renewable electricity to Egypt’s national grid.²

Initiated to upgrade aging hydraulic infrastructure, the project aims to enhance water regulation for irrigation benefiting around 1.65 million hectares in Upper Egypt.³ Its vision is to integrate improved water management with clean energy production and greater infrastructure resilience.⁴ The project supports Egypt Vision 2030, particularly objectives related to renewable energy, water efficiency, and sustainable infrastructure.⁵

To implement its vision and objectives, the project includes the following key components: ⁶

• Gated spillways to regulate Nile flows and improve hydraulic control under varying river conditions.
• Navigation locks to enhance navigation safety and ensure reliable river transport.
• Irrigation intakes to improve irrigation reliability and reduce water losses associated with aging infrastructure
• Integrated hydropower station equipped with Kaplan turbines to generate renewable electricity through a run-of-river scheme while preserving the natural flow regime of the Nile

The hydropower facility generates renewable electricity without altering the natural flow regime of the Nile.⁷ The project also improves navigation safety and irrigation reliability while reducing water losses associated with outdated structures.⁸ From a sustainability perspective, the barrage contributes to climate mitigation by replacing fossil-fuel-based electricity and strengthening adaptive water management capacity.⁹

The project was financed by the European Investment Bank and implemented by the Egyptian government through the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.¹⁰Construction was carried out by a consortium of international and national contractors under strict environmental and social safeguards.¹¹

The hydropower plant has been operational since 2018 and supplies renewable electricity to the national grid.¹²