|
Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia to bolster power trade
2006-05-08 08:12:18
By Patrick Kisembo
Tanzania, Zambia and Kenya have embarked on a US$600 million power interconnection project to increase regional electricity trade within the framework of New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad).
’’The project is known as Zambia-Tanzania-Kenya Power Interconnection Project,’’ Dr Ibrahim Msabaha, Minister for Energy and Minerals, told the Press in is office yesterday upon return from a tripartite meeting that reviewed the project’s progress.
The minister returned to the country on Saturday from Mombasa, Kenya, where energy ministers from the three countries met to discuss the details of the project with potential financiers.
The three energy ministers of Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya met in Mombassa, Kenya from May 3-5 to lay the groundwork of the proposed project.
He said the success of the project would enable the three countries to access competitively-priced electricity supply and obtain support in times of drought and emergency.
’’Successful realisation of the project will not only interconnect the three countries Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia but also interconnect national power grids of the East African Community member-states with the Southern African Power Pool,’’ Dr Msabaha said.
The minister said the project will be implemented in two phases at the cost of approximately US$600 million.
’’The first phase is expected to commence at the end of 2007 and will be completed in 2009,’’ he said.
The minister said the first phase, which is expected to cost about US$358 million, will have a transfer capacity of 200MW.
He said phase two of the project with a transfer capacity of 400MW, is expected to cost US$302 million, and will start soon after phase one. The second phase will be completed in 2014.
He said the project complements the medium and long-term power sector development plans and strategies in the context of Tanzania.
The second phase of the project will focus on three areas, one of which will be the installation of a 660KV line capacity from Pensulo substation in Zambia to Singida in southern Tanzania.
Said Dr Msabaha: ’’The first thing will be to connect a transmission line of 330KV from Pensulo substation in Zambia to Mwakibete substation in Mbeya, Tanzania.’’
’’Then we will have to transfer electricity in another 330KV line from Mbeya to Singida.
We shall have a second circuit and the reinforcement of the grid between Singida and Arusha,’’ he noted.
Dr Msabaha said Arusha and Nairobi would be connected by a 220KV line.
He said the project’s transmission towers carrying the high voltage conductors would also carry low transmission conductors for rural electrification along the transmission corridor.
’’This will enable communities living close to the line to be supplied with electricity, thus complementing the national rural electrification plan,’’ the minister said.
He said the three ministers were informed that negotiations for financing and implementation of the Tanzania-Kenya inter-connector component with a Dutch company, Vatech Elin Holec High Voltage BV were at an advanced stage.
’’We noted the technical, economic, finance and environmental studies had been completed on the Zambia-Tanzania interconnection component,’’ said Dr Msabaha.
He said the ministers reiterated the commitment of the three governments to the establishment of a project steering committee (PSC) and project management unit (PMU) comprising experts from the three countries.
’’The PMU, which will be based in Lusaka, will manage the implementation of the project and will be funded jointly by the three states,’’ the minister said.
The project will be funded in part by joint grants secured by the three governments from Nepad infrastructure project preparatory fund (Nepad-IPPF) through the African Development Bank and Development Bank of Southern Africa.
|
