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No power crisis - Tanesco
2008-01-18 09:31:28
By Patrick Kisembo
Power supply in Tanzania will not be disrupted this year despite the long drought expected to hit some parts of the country, according to the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco).
Tanesco Managing Director Idris Rashid said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that all power-generation dams in the country were full enough to be in business throughout the year.
His remarks come only two days after the Tanzania Meteorological Agency warned that severe drought due to La Nina was looming, the northern parts of the country being the most at risk.
Asked on the measures his company was taking to spare the nation power shedding should the drought strike, Dr Rashid said: ``Mtera dam is in good condition, the water currently being about 695 meters above sea level.``
He explained that the dam`s capacity is about 698.5
meters above sea level and that the nation`s annual consumption usually cuts that level by an estimated three meters.
``That was the case last year, which means that the Mtera dam waters should take us to the end of this year,`` he added.
The Tanesco MD said that in the unlikely event of the dam not being in position to generate power, they would safely resort to alternative sources.
He said one ready option was gas, adding that they have completed installing turbines at Ubungo (in Dar es Salaam) that will generate 100 megawatts.
``There should be no power shedding this year if we get enough rains. But we are also planning to supply gas from the Songosongo plants in Lindi Region to other stations next year in order to make better use of the available gas in power generation,`` he pointed out.
According to Dr Rashid, the company would also use power generated by Aggreco and Dowans next year.
The country faced a crippling power shortage in mid-2006 after drought led to a record fall in water levels at the strategic Mtera, Kihansi and Kidatu water sources and power generation plants.
Power generation at the Mtera Dam later ground to a halt and resumed only after the rains were back.
One of the other points where electricity used to be generated, the Nyumba ya Mungu power plant, cut production to about eight megawatts from its 80MW installed capacity.
With the drought continuing to bite, power rationing lasted more than 15 hours a day in 2006.
The situation was especially bad in October, as water levels at strategic dams fell on.
In an attempt to avert a worse crisis, the government entered into a contract with Richmond Development Corporation for the generation of 100MW in emergency power for feeding into the national grid. However, the firm failed to deliver.
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