Tanzania do something!

Will Dar face a total blackout in 60 days?
By Florian Kaijage - 17th July 2011

Minister of Energy and Minerals, William Ngeleja

For Tanzanians who have tested the benefits and joys of electricity-facilitated modernity, the backward march towards the dark ages is a real threat, as the latest long-stretch electricity rationing is set to worsen. The Guardian On Sunday has reliably learnt that most hydro-electricity generating units countrywide face closure over the next 60 days, translating into more suffering for people whose livelihood and recreation are dependent on reliable power supply. The threat is more ominous on the national scale, by way of deadly blows to the economy of one of the poorest countries in the world, resulting from factory closures or highly reduced production schedules. Disruptions in social service delivery would be similarly hurtful. The nation’s threat of turning to near-total, or total darkness comes at a time when the country is enduring unending power rationing since December 2010, and the hours having lengthened to 12 hours during the day right and 6 hours at night.

This paper has been reliably informed that water level at Mtera dam, the biggest man-made lake in the country has terribly decreased to the extent that the two power generating units at the dam could only generate 8 Megawatts, equals to 10 percent of the installed capacity. A more worrying fact is that Mtera dam is not only an important for power generation at its units but is a water reservoir for Kidatu’s 4 power generation units which are currently generation less than 50 megawatts despite having a capacity to generate 204 megawatts. Water is released from Mtera to Kidatu during dry season or whenever the need arises. The two power generation centers lie on the grate Ruaha River stream. A well placed source at Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) told The Guardian on Sunday this week Mtera could be shut down completely in the next 40 days and the same fate would befall Kidatu a few weeks later. “The situation is extremely bad and we do not know what would be happening in the near future because no water is added to the dams,” said the source, which preferred to remain anonymous.

This paper has also established that Hale generating unit which situated in Korogwe, Tanga with an installed capacity of 21 megawatts has been closed as it is unable to generate even a single megawatt and Nyumba ya Mungu unit in Simanjiro District in Manyara Region could generate only 2 megawatt out of 8 megawatts installed capacity. It could not be established how much power Kihansi in Morogoro and Pangani in Tanga generate currently, but it isn apparent that the megawatts produced
at both dams has dropped drastically. The installed capacity of Kihansi is 180 megawatt as Pangani can generate 68 megawatts at full capacity, totaling 248. A source at Tanesco revealed to this paper that the amount of megawatts contributed by hydro power units to the national grid system could not exceed 160 megawatts which is 28.5 percent of the installed capacity of 561 megawatts for all hydro power units.

And with no rains in sight over the next three months, and thus no additional water being fed into the dams, while the generating units continue to operate and consume the little available water, it is clear that the amount generated would be decreasing daily. Last week this paper quoted a senior Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA) official as saying that no rains are forecast in the next three months, until the onset of the rainy season in October.

The country has now been turning attention to gas from Songosongo Island as a source of power. However although the 4 plants available have a combined installed capacity of 411 megawatts, they are said to contribute less that 350 megawatt to the
national grid. The plants are Songas (191Mw) Tegeta (45), Symbion (75) and the one owned by Tanesco (100Mw). The national power demand at peak hour in the morning and at night is 833 megawatt with an increase of 14 percent annually.
And with the soaring power woes, the Minister of Energy and Minerals, William Ngeleja told the Parliament when tabling the budget speech for 2011/12 financial year about a long list of government projects aimed at bring about everlasting solution. However, the earliest project which would generate 100 megawatts is expected to be operational in December 2011. This is the project the government has been talking about since 2009.

Other projects cited by minister Ngeleja are Mwanza project (60Mw) to be ready in June 2012, Mnazi Bay (300Mw) to be completed during the 2013/14 financial year, Ruhudji (358 Mw) and Mpanga (165Mw) to be ready in 2015/16 and Somanga Fungu (230Mw) in 2013. Other projects according to Ngeleja are Kiwira (200Mw) which is scheduled to be operational in 2013/14, Ngaka Coal (400Mw), Mchuchuma (600Mw) and Rusumo 63 Mw which have no clear time table and Ramakali (222Mw) slated for 2018. The biggest power project among all is the Stiegler’s Gorge with a capacity to generate 2100 megawatts, which however has no schedule as to when the implementation would start and the eventual completion.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN