Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, the Sudanese First Vice President, escorted by Amir, Minister of Sudan Premier Office, Abdulla, Minister of Sudan Finance Ministry, and Osama, Minister of Dam and Electric Power Ministry, inspected the construction site of the Atbara upper stream hydro project at 11:00 AM, on February 17.

The First Vice President inspected the installation of turbine-generator units (4X80MW), the embankment dam at right bank and the spillways. He listened to a detailed report on the project and construction progress presented by Osama, Minister of Dam and Electric Power. The Vice President gave a full recognition of the project progress, management, and standardized construction work. He was also satisfied with the overall development and environmental protection work of the project.

The Atbara upper stream hydro project is composed of two dams, namely Rumina and Bodana, and its appurtenants works, and will perfectly meet the main requirement of the project, including irrigation, water supply and power generation. After completion, a reservoir with a storage capacity of 3 billion m3 will be formed which will be able to provide water to a irrigation area up to 500,000 hectare, irrigation water for a population of 7 million people, potable water for a population of 3 million and power supply for a million people. Therefore, it will directly benefit nearly 1/3 of the population of Sudan. The completion of an airport in the vicinity of the Project in the same time period is also of significance to the development of agricultural economy such as export of vegetables/animals and agricultural produce, as well as creation of job opportunities and improvement of living standards of local residents.

First Vice President Kindly Shakes Hands with the Contractor's Staff