Minister for Energy and Minerals, Prof Sospeter Muhongo
The projects will be implemented in different parts of the country and will incorporate different sources of production such as water, gas, petroleum and coal.
Presenting the 2014/205 budget estimates, the Minister for Energy and Minerals, Prof Sospeter Muhongo identified at least six major power projects that would be completed by either 2015 or 2016.
In Mwanza Region, the government has completed the building of a MW60 power plant at Nyakato and has strengthened its lake region distribution system.
In the meantime, the ‘Kinyerezi-One’ power plant in Dar es Salaam to produce 150MW through natural gas initiated during the last financial year nears its completion and will help reduce power shortage in the city by 2015.
The total cost of the project is Sh301bn and some Sh90bn for the project has been set aside in this budget. The project is to be completed in the 2014/2015 financial year.
Prof Muhongo added that the Kinyerezi II power plan to produce MW 240 will begin this year by importing machinery and has earmarked where the plant will be set.
He mentioned the consultant company for the project as Sumitomo Corporation from Japan. The total cost for the project is Sh 564 billion and one billion shillings has been set aside to start the project.
He said the Kinyerezi III project to produce MW 300 which is a joint venture agreement between TANESCO and China Power Investment (CPI) may start as both partners have signed agreement contracts.
The Kinyerezi IV to produce MW 300 will see feasibility study in this financial year as the government through TANESCO signed Memorandum of Understanding (Mo) with Poly Technologies of China in September 2013 to oversee the project.
The minister also noted that the government through TANESCO in November 2013 approved a MW 600 for Mtwara region.
The project will also involve construction of transmission line for KV400 of electricity from Mtwara to Songea.
The Rusumo –MW 80 power undertaken in collaboration with the neighbouring countries of Rwanda and Burundi is also in the pipeline. The project involves construction of transmission line of KV 220 from Rusumo to the respective countries.
He said feasibility study for the project; environmental assessment and signing of the implementation agreement have been completed as well as share holding agreement.
Speaking on power production projects from coal the minister said the government has promised to continue overseeing the projects to produce MW 200 of power at Kiwira, MW600 at Mchuchuma and some MW 400 at Ngaka.
He said the projects needs a whopping Sh 656 billion but only Sh5 billion has been set aside for the projects in 2014/2015.
Other projects include the Iringa-Shinyanga project to produce 400KV by 2015/2016; the Makambako--Songea project for 220KV that needs Sh16bn which will also be completed in 2015/2016.
The minister also noted that power production has increased in the recent years, promising that much more will be done.
“These are projects and not promises and they will be implemented as stipulated” he said.
By the end of April, 2014 the total installed capacity of power produced reached MW1,583, and that 35 percent of this was from water sources, 34 percent from natural gas and the remaining 31 percent from petroleum.
This, according to the government, was an increase of 78 percent compared to the MW 891 that was the peak production in 2005 before the fourth government came to power.
In 2013, the amount of power connected to the national grid reached GWh 5,997.41 compared to some GWh 5,760 in 2012
On the gas sector, the minister urged local companies to invest in the sector, saying Tanzanians should shun the notion that only foreigners are allowed to invest in the sector.
He said since the government had since introduced the 2013 gas policy, stakeholders could now share their inputs by June this year.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
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