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What is the way out of the power crisis?
2006-03-10 14:44:15
By Deogratias Mushi
With Spain’s plan to supply electricity in the rural, power rationing will be ’a thing of the past in Tanzania.
The Iberian country’s hand of assistance comes after water level at Mtera dam dropped disastrously, making it impossible to produce a enough electric power.
Fortunately though, the nation has Kiwira, Songas and IPTL power suppliers to make up for the deficit albeit for just a small amount, otherwise a big part of the country would today be in total darkness.
Spain wants electricity to reach many parts of the country. That is why it has pledged over 12bn/- to finance the rural electrification project, which may double production.
The outgoing Spain Ambassador to Tanzania, Jose Maria Bolibar has made the pledge to President Jakaya Kikwete that his country is ready to improve living conditions in rural areas through improved economy. Bolibar sees electricity as an essential commodity in such places, if people’s production capacity is to double.
The ex-ambassador confidently says that taking electricity to rural areas would accelerate development, especially the expansion of small-scale industries that would increase local production to the level of doubling exports.
The Spain’s assistance might have come at the right time, when the government is already ’tired’ of depending on hydro electric power, and currently planning to use natural gas to generate electricity.
With improved power supply, president Kikwete says that the government will distribute power to plantations in Iringa Region in order to reduce dependence on firewood to dry tea leaves.
’’Once the tea plantations in Njombe district get electric power, it will help to tackle the increasing environmental degradation in the area,’’ says the president.
On his part, the Prime Minister Edward Lowassa told Radio One recently that plans were on the way to reduce hydroelectric power dependency and start using gas as a power source. ’’We know at the beginning it will be very expensive, but in the long run, the country will be able to have a reliable power supply,’’ says the PM.
Some neighbouring countries have already resolved to look for other means of generating electricity other than water sources.
For instance, Uganda, which for decades used to depend on Owen falls to generate hydro-electric power has recently started experiencing severe power rationing because the supply has alarmingly decreased, resulting in the country’s inability to meet the local daily demand.
Immediately after his election two weeks ago, President Yoweri Museveni said his government would improve electricity supply in his country, to enable production sectors work profitably. His manifesto puts electricity the first agenda.
Uganda is facing hydroelectric power shortage, simply because Lake Victoria water level has gone down, seriously reducing water speed in River Nile.
Tanzania is a vast country, endowed with many natural resources, which, according to Lowassa, can be used to solve electricity problem.
That is the reason why the Spain Ambassador says that Ukerewe and and Sengerema districts in Mwanza Region are the first areas to benefit from the program.
Given the ever-spiralling oil price in the world market, countries in the third world would not be able to afford running power generators.
Another good news related to power improvement in the country is the decision by the South African Development Community (SADC) to approach New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) for funding a power project in Tanzania.
The Director of Planning at the Ministry of Energy and Minerals Invocavit Swai says that the project will be carried out by Southern Africa Power Pool and the aim will be to help Tanzania tap into the Zambia power greed.
This is possible, since the power market has been liberalized in many countries which has led to the emergence of new power utilities, such as Independent Power Tanzania Limited (IPTL) and Songas.
Swai says that with the current drop in water production Tanzania is keen to see the project implemented to enable it to fill the production gap left by its deteriorating hydroelectricity supply due to drought.
If the SADC power plan is successful, Tanzania will import and re-export excess power to Kenya, since that development will form power corridor with a capacity to produce 3,000 MW.
Exacerbating the power problem are delayed rains.
The International Monetary Fund has responded to Tanzania’s crisis by allowing the country to use debt relief funds for procurement of food and emergency power back up.
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