The Citizen Reporter
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Energy and Minerals minister,William Ngeleja Dar es Salaam. It is now official. Tanzanians will celebrate Christmas and New Year in darkness. The country is in yet another scheduled power rationing, denting hopes that the nationwide energy allotment, which started a few days ago, may come to an end sooner than later as has been widely expected. The new power rationing has been fuelled by inefficient gas supplies from the Pan African Energy well in Songosongo, according to the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco), communications manager, Ms Badra Masoud. “With inefficient gas supplies from Pan African, the national grid faces a shortfall of 40 megawatts, necessitating us to initiate a nationwide power rationing,” Ms Masoud told members of the press in Dar es Salaam yesterday. The bad news comes just days after Tanzanians saw a ray of hope with reports that the state-run utility was about to end scheduled power rationing as output increased with improved hydropower generation. It also comes just a few days after Energy and Minerals minister William Ngeleja assured the nation that most of defective power outlets had stabilised. He said he was satisfied with ongoing efforts to restore power production to normal levels. The recent countrywide power rationing was caused by a breakdown of one generator at the Songas plant, a faulty transformer at Kipawa sub-station, decrease of water level in hydro-power stations and lack of Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) at the Independent Power Tanzania Limited (IPTL) in Tegeta. But Mr Ngeleja said during his recent tour of public and private power plants that most of the machines had been fixed and fuel for the IPTL plant had been secured. “We are glad to say that the government is keen on seeing that the state power company serves Tanzanians as needed... and I can assure Tanzanians that if weather allows we won’t have a repeated power shedding in future,” minister Ngeleja was quoted to have said. The Tanesco managing director, Mr William Mhando, also assured the nation that power rationing was unlikely in the near future, saying: “We are seeing a big improvement in our hydro-power plants due to the rains which we have received in the last few days... together with other sources, we did not have power rationing today and for that we are anticipating to call off the power rationing in a few days time.” And, in what looks like substantiating the fact that ‘problems never come singly’, Ms Masoud told the press in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the 40 megawatts shortfall in the national grid subjects each location to power rationing for up to ten hours (from 8am to 6pm) at least three days a week. She said the firm has outlined the scheduled rationing in its press statement today (December 24). The schedule can also be obtained from all its regional offices, company website and blog. The rationing will go on for four weeks when Pan African is expected to complete its routine maintenance. “It’s a routine maintenance and we have been told it will take four weeks….there was no way we could avoid it,” she said. However, she hastened to say that industrial locations, hospitals, mining sites and water pumps as well as other areas regarded as sensitive such as State House and army camps, would not be affected by the rationing. Regions that do not receive electricity from the national grid, including Kigoma, Ruvuma, Mtwara and Lindi, will also be spared from the problem, Ms Masoud said. Tanesco produces a total of 145 megawatts of electricity from its Ubungo and Tegeta gas plants. Songas, which produces 182 megawatts of electricity from gas, also sells its power to the state-run Tanesco. The news on the four-week blackout comes only a few days after the Energy and Water Utilities Authority (Ewura) announced a 18.5 per cent increase in power tariffs, come January 1, 2011. Meanwhile, residents of some parts of Temeke who have been in total darkness for four weeks due to a technical fault at the Kipawa sub-station, may at last smile as the problem has now been resolved. According to Ms Masoud, residents and industries getting power from the 45 MVA-transformer at Kipawa will not be affected by the new power rationing. Tanesco produces a total of 561 MW at its Kidatu, Kihansi, Mtera, Pangani, Hale and Nyumba ya Mungu dams. |
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