| Mtera Dam | |
| Location Map: | Tanzania#Africa#World |
| Location Map Size: | 270px |
| Location Map Caption: | Location in Tanzania |
| Coordinates: | -7.1362°N 35.9868°W |
| Country: | Tanzania |
| Purpose: | Flood control and power |
| Status: | O |
| Construction Began: | 1970 |
| Opening: | 19 February 1981 |
| Owner: | TANESCO |
| Dam Type: | Rock-fill dam |
| Dam Crosses: | Great Ruaha River |
| Res Catchment: | 68000km2 |
| Plant Commission: | 1984 |
| Plant Turbines: | 2× 40 MW |
| Plant Capacity: | 80 MW |
| Extra: | Source: TANESCO[1] |
Mtera Dam is a hydroelectric dam in Tanzania. The dam is located midway between Iringa and Dodoma on the border between the Iringa Region and the Dodoma Region. The travel time from Dodoma is about two hours on a tarmac road.
Mtera Dam is a large hydroelectric dam in Tanzania. It measures at full capacity. The lake is long, and wide, and is feed by the Great Ruaha River and the Kisigo River. It was built from 1975 to 1979 for the purpose of regulating water level at the downstream at the Ruaha installed Kidatu Hydro-electric Dam. It has a capacity of .
The lake is considered to be one of the best places in Tanzania to observe birds, since there are approximately one million dead trees in it and it has many shallow areas.[2] In addition, the waters are rich in fish. In the early 1990s about 5000 tonnes of fish were caught in the lake.[3]
Öhman, May-Britt,Taming Exotic Beauties: Swedish Hydro Power Constructions in Tanzania in the Era of Development Assistance, 1960s - 1990s, Stockholm, 2007, PhD Thesis, http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:12267