Construction of the new barrage of Naga Hammadi, steel bridges, access roads, offshore irrigation structures and temporary facilities.
The old Naga Hammadi Barrage, one of three structures constructed between 1900 and 1930 along the River Nile in Upper Egypt, is located 130 km north of the city of Luxor and 360 km downstream of the Aswan Dam. The reservoir feeds an agricultural irrigation system of 320,000 hectare year-round.
A conceptual study comparing rehabilitation of the existing barrage versus the construction of a new barrage concluded that a new 330 m long seven gate dam, raising the water level up to 8 m, for irrigation should be built along with a ship lock and a 64 MW Run-Of-River hydropower plant. This was considered the most economical alternative for which geologically favorable conditions were identified 3 km downstream of the existing barrage.
The study of the alternatives involved a variety of complex and technically challenging tasks, including 3-D mathematical modelling of groundwater flows, physical hydraulic model tests, optimization calculations, comparison of flood protection concepts and a comprehensive environmental impact assessment for the project.
