The Mexican multinational building materials company CEMEX has reportedly announced to have assisted in the construction of the Assiut barrage project in Egypt. Sources cite that the project is considered to be the third largest water irrigation facility on the Nile river.
Reportedly, CEMEX was the primary cement supplier of the project which is estimated to provide irrigation water for around 690,000 hectares of area, directly helping over 5 million agricultural workers in Egypt.
If sources familiar with the knowledge of the matter are to be believed, the new Assiut barrage project would replace the previous dam which was constructed at the beginning of the 20th century. The new project also includes the construction of a 32 MW hydroelectric power plant in the Nile river.
CEMEX reportedly supplied around 160,000 tons of low heat of hydration and high-resistant cement for the project. Moreover, the San Pedro-headquartered construction material supplier had previously contributed in building the first concrete highway in Egypt.
Country Manager of CEMEX in Egypt, Carlos E. Gonzalez stated that the new Assiut barrage dam is an exemplary project for the company’s Egyptian division. Gonzalez further added that the high-quality of resources and expertise provided by the company will ensure that the project becomes a new landmark over the ancient river of Nile. The firm feels proud in being able to contribute toward projects like the Assiut barrage and the nation’s first concrete road, Gonzalez added.
For the record, the new Assiut barrage dam was inaugurated by the President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi in August and has since begun operations. The venture was built by a consortium of national as well as international companies and costs approximately $362 million, cite sources.
The new project would reportedly provide water and clean energy to the cities of Assiut, Minya, Giza, Fayoum, and Beni Suef.