Hii ilikuwa Aprili mwaka huu.....uongo mtupu wa serikali na sijui hiyo loan ya $400m wameifanyia nini
CTI Chairman, Felix Mosha said power cuts have been damaging electrical equipment and increasing the running cost of business, due to the use of generators.Mosha said efficient power supply was the most important thing which would enable business compete favourably in the coming East Africa Common Market.We appreciate the government efforts in solving the power problems, but we are tired of power cuts and endless rationing. We want to be assured of reliable power supply because our competitiveness is diminishing, he said.Mosha said CTI members were also concerned about the high electricity charges, including the 3 per cent which is levied for the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and the poor customer services provided by the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO).
He also wanted to know what the government was doing to attract private sector participation after the amendment of the Electricity Act of 2008.
Responding, Minister Ngeleja said the government has long and short term plans which include the production of 900 megawatts of power by the year 2012 of which 160MW would start flowing in the next twelve months, while another 100 MW would be produced from a gas plant at Ubungo in Dar es Salaam and another 60MW from the installed generators in Mwanza.Power rationing and transmission will soon end as the 160MW is connected to the national grid, said Ngeleja.Ngeleja mentioned the Singida windmill project which will produce 50MW, Kiwira 200MW, Mnazi Bay 300MW and Kinyerezi power project which will give out 240MW as the other projects in the pipeline.He said the government has received a soft loan of USD 400 million from the Chinese government to implement the identified power projects.The minister said the amendment to the Electricity Act was intended to involve and encourage the private sector to invest in the energy sector.
There are many opportunities for you to invest in the sector, and we are hoping that CTI shall supplement our efforts in solving power problems, said Ngeleja.On the 3 per cent deduction for REA, he said the money was meant to support rural electrification.
He said concerted efforts were needed to promote rural electrification as only 14 per cent of the population has access to electricity, of whom 12 per cent are urban dwellers.Ngeleja also called on CTI members to help the government fight against fake electrical products and meter tempering.
For his part, CTI past Chairman, Reginald Mengi said industrialists were more concerned with the quality than the quantity of the countrys power. He said the countrys electricity quality was poor due to frequent blackouts and inconsistent supply.What we are looking for is not only the quantity, but quality of electricity, said Mengi.He said that despite all the efforts at improvement, there were still serious distribution problems. He said though the energy produced is enough and well transmitted, its distribution is still poor.Mengi advised the government to privatize the distribution network so as to improve its reach to intended customers.He said absence of a chief executive of the company affected Tanescos customer service delivery.
Meanwhile Dominic Nkolimwa reports that the Rufiji Basin Development Authority (RUBADA) has initiated two major hydro-power projects in Kilombero District, Morogoro Region to generate approximately 2,265 megawatts upon completion.The project, one of the biggest on the continent is expected to help the country attain self-sufficiency and export surplus power in the near future.Speaking after a meeting held in Dar es Salaam involving TANESCO, Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA), RUBADA,
The National Environment Management Council (NEMC) and Morogoro region authority, the Rubada Acting Director General Alloyce Masanja named the projects as Stieglers Gorge and Mpanga.He said the Stieglers Gorge project was expected to generate 2,100MW while the Mpanga project would generate 165MW.He said the government had hesitated to allow the execution of the Stieglers Gorge project, fearing destruction of the environment, but has now allowed RUBADA to proceed with implementation, after discussions.South Africa and Canada have accepted to fund the project.Masanja said a feasibility study done in 1980, showed that the project would cost USD1.0bn, but the latest study put the cost at USD 2.0bn.He said under the memorandum of understanding, the project was being executed under a Build, Operate and Transfer arrangement, for 25 years.He said the second project which is Mpanga, will be funded by Chinese government.Chinese government at the interim cost has accepted to provide USD 173m as an initial cost, although the study shows that the whole project will cost USD 400m, said Masanja.
In another development, mining of uranium will officially begin in 2012 in Ruvuma Region, earning the nation more than USD 200 million per year in foreign exchange, Minister for Energy and Minerals William Ngeleja has said.He said Mantra Resources company working in Ruvuma Region has completed initial feasibility study and was carrying out definitive feasibility study (design stage) before embarking on construction and production.
He named other companies carrying out studies in other parts of the country as Uranex and Western Methods which will place Tanzania third in Africa and seventh in world uranium production.