About this project

In December 2011, the Egyptian government signed an agreement with the German government, represented by the German Construction Bank, where the bank provided a soft economic loan amounting to 296 million euros, in addition to 40 million euros within the debt swap agreement between the Egyptian and German governments, in addition to 3 million euros for environmental studies work. As for the side The Egyptian government, represented by the National Investment Bank, contributes to the total investments of one billion and 150 million Egyptian pounds, in addition to 100 million Egyptian pounds from the investments of the Ministry of Electricity.

The foundation stone for the project was laid in May 2012, and it was inaugurated on August 12, 2018. The project aims to improve irrigation in the Middle Egypt region, which represents about 20% of the total cultivated area in Egypt.

The barrage includes two first-class locks to serve navigation purposes and facilitate the movement of river navigation and trade in the course of the Nile River. Each one is 17 meters wide and 156 meters long, with a draft of no less than 3 metres. It allows all navigational units to pass throughout the year. It also includes a generating station. Hydroelectric power, reaching a depth of about 10 floors below the waters of the Nile River, and electricity is produced through 4 turbines, each unit’s capacity is 8 megawatts, and its production capacity is 32 megawatts, which is sufficient to light a city the size of New Assiut. A permanent overhead bridge was also constructed, at the top of the Assiut Barrage. The new one consists of 4 lanes, with a capacity of 70 tons, connecting the eastern and western banks of the Nile