CAIRO, August 8, 2018 - The Ambassador of Germany in Cairo, Julius Georg Luy, hailed on Wednesday the completion of the New Assiut Barrage project, expressing his country's pride to be Egypt's partner in the project. Ambassador Luy said that Germany had funded the huge New Assiut Barrage at a total cost of about 300 million euros. The project will help provide irrigation water for an area of 690,000 feddans and will benefit five million Egyptians working in agriculture. The ambassador said that the co-operation on this project followed a previous co-operation on the Nagaa Hamady Barrage in Upper Egypt that was implemented in 2002-2006. "This is a proof that Germany has a long commitment for development in the water sector (in Egypt) that is a key source for the future of that country," the ambassador said. The funding was given in soft loans of a total amount of 311 million euros, out of total cost 474 million euros. The ambassador said that the New Assiut Barrage would have a big impact on the irrigation system, most especially in the southern part of the country. "The Barrage will also generate 32 megawatts of power that will help supply 130,000 households with electricity."
