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Same East MP wants creation of more power sources
2007-04-12 10:30:25
By Juma Thomas, Dodoma
A Member of Parliament yesterday questioned the rationale of the government in spending USD 411 million to buy power instead of using the money to build more dams to generate power.
In her supplementary question the MP, Anne Kilango Malecela (Same East, CCM) said hired power projects would not solve power problems.
The problem could only be solved by the government putting in place long term strategies.
She said last year when the country faced power blues, the government spent a lot of money to buy power from international companies instead of using the money to create more power sources.
Malecela said for instance that the government paid Aggreko USD 61m, Dowans USD 102.6m and Watsila USD 76m.
``Watsila company was paid USD 57m while a Mwanza based power company was paid USD 116m,`` she said.
In her basic question, Anne Malecela had asked if the government had any plan to preserve excess water in the dams that could generate power instead of spilling it over as it was recently done in Mtera dam.
The Minister of Energy and Mineral Nazir Karamagi said the government had to spend the money to save the country from total darkness.
``We had no option but to buy power to save the situation. If we did not do that I am sure you would have asked us why we are not looking for alternative ways to get power,`` he said.
He, however, said that not all the money was paid to the companies as some of it was paid as energy and capacity charge.
Karamagi said Mtera dam preserve water enough to generate 80 MW of power and then the water is spilled to Kidatu dam to run the turbines which produce MW 200.
The minister said although there are many dams along the valley where water from Mtera dam passes, the government has failed to construct the dams due to financial constraints.
He said as a long term strategy the government would develop Stiegler`s Gorge in Rufiji River which collects water from rivers in the Rufiji basin.
``Discussions between Rufiji Basin Development Authority and Infrastructure Development Finance of South Africa are going on with a view of undertaking the project,`` he said.
He said the government learnt from last year`s power problem experience and that they will use generation mix, including coal, wind and water to make sure that power problem does not recur again.
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