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With the construction industry and demand for cement said to be one of the key drivers, Tanzania’s economy is booming at a rapid rate.
The increased demand in cement is further fuelled by ongoing natural gas discoveries offshore of the Lindi and Mtwara regions.
The commissioning of the Dangote Group’s new cement plant in the Mtwara Region will help facilitate even further growth and help the country meet its local cement needs as well as provide export supplies.
The plant, which is set for completion in 2015, will produce three million tonnes of cement per year, approximately half of Tanzania’s current production. The plant, one of only four facilities like this across the world, it will be powered by a 75 MW coal based power plant.
Aurecon has been appointed as the local engineering consultant on this green fields project and will be providing civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) engineering design review as well as registration and construction supervision services.
Craig Wood, Aurecon’s Country Manager, Tanzania, says there have been a number of challenges inherent in working on such a large plant.
“Because the design of the plant originated from China with external design review from America, Aurecon was required to ensure the final design was an applicable and constructible solution for Tanzania. To do so, Aurecon utilised expertise from several of its local and global teams to ensure the buildability of the design as per local standards,” explains Wood.
And Anna Munyagi, Aurecon’s In-country Coordination Engineer, reveals that processing and standardising information that was put together by designers and reviewers spread across the globe was particularly challenging.
“Advising our client on adapting their standards to reflect and comply with Tanzanian standards has been a value-add to the facility,” she says.
Aurecon formed a consortium of local Architects and Quantity Surveys in Tanzania in order to sure that the design, material selection and standards were achievable within local conditions and constraints.
“In addition, Aurecon is also managing critical Tanzanian registration and compliance matters, including obtaining approvals on local legislation matters for the plant. Mtwara is set to become a significant infrastructure hub to support the emerging large industries in Southern Tanzanian/Northern Mozambique. The fact that Aurecon is also involved in the Mtwara Town Master plan provides us with a good platform to engage the local authorities,” adds Munyagi.
Harun Mopendela, a civil engineer with Aurecon in Tanzania divulges that Aurecon is playing a critical oversight role throughout the final design and construction phases of the project and will continue to maximise involvement from its local staff who have local knowledge and experience.
“Backed up global expertise, Aurecon is assisting Dangote to construct a leading, economy-boosting facility,” Mopendela says.
Meanwhile Woods details that increased construction and a subsequent rise in cement demand in Tanzania places the Dangote Group in the ideal position of facilitating growth within the country, as well as neighbouring African economies.
“Aurecon congratulates this visionary, forward-thinking client on commissioning the right project at the right time,” concludes Wood.
