China's Dongfang Electric Corporation (DEC) said Thursday it had recently signed a supply contract with a consortium of two Egyptian companies for a major hydropower project in Tanzania.

The contract between DEC and the consortium of Arab Contractors and Elsewedy Electric is to provide hydroelectric generating sets and related equipment for the Julius Nyerere hydropower project in the Rufiji River basin.

The hydropower plant has a designed capacity of 2,115 megawatts, with nine 235-megawatt generating units to be installed. The project will more than double the East African country's current power-generation capacity and promote local development.

Dongfang Electric Corporation, based in the city of Chengdu in southwest China, is one of the world's largest manufacturers of power-generating equipment. Enditem