Author: JAMES KAMALA
AfricaPress-Tanzania: TANZANIA Electricity Corporation (Tanesco), has been credited for letting modern power generation projects be run by indigenous professionals.
The credit to the national power utility were given due to its support to the growth of the country’s economy by completely eliminating the major electricity problem especially in the country’s commercial city, Dar es Salaam city.
The remarks were made over the weekend by Dar es Salaam Regional Chairperson of the Ruling Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM), Kate Kamba and Regional Commissioner (RC), Paul Makonda during a visit to inspection of the implementation of the Party’s manifesto which includes including the Kinyerezi II power plant.
Kinyerezi ll is a 240-megawatt which over 800bn/-were spent and was commissioned March 2019 by Sumitomo Corporation, a Japanese contractor which is currently run by locals for more than one year. Kate Kamba on the tour said, “CCM region at regional level has received this project with two hands as it makes Tanzania shine. This is a great work and a great vision of President John Magufuli that enabled us to reach the middle-class economy”.
“We are very proud of these Tanzanian professionals for the way they operate these machines without foreigners, youth have as well secured employment. We should all ask them to be patriotic in protecting this project for our nation’s development,”
For his part, Mr Makonda praised Tanesco for projects running in his region and explained that the project contributed to the country’s current electricity supply which stands at 1,517.47 megawatts with consumption of more than 1,100 megawatts and thus a surplus of between 200 to 250 megawatts.
Makonda said the move has made Dar es Salaam, a commercial city, completely forgetting the noise of generators on the streets of the Kariakoo and other trade areas.
“Right now those working in saloon have forgotten the problem of power outages in Dar es Salaam and businesses continue to thrive. This is job well done by Tanesco under the supervision of our President, Dr John Pombe Magufuli,” said Makonda
Earlier, Tanesco’s Senior Manager Generation, Stephen Manda told the visiting delegates that the project costing over 800bn/-began in March, 2016 and March 16 in 2018 President Magufuli laid the foundation. He said over a year now (March 2019) a Japanese engineer officially handed it over to Tanesco and is now run by 100 percent native.
“It is a project that has increased the availability of reliable, predictable and improved electricity. This is telling Tanzanians we have been able and will be able to do more,” said Manda.
According to Manda, the plant is serviced by approximately 60 engineers and technicians in turns among the 88 workers on the project and all are indigenous.
He said the current demand for the whole country is 1,116 megawatts and the production is 1,565 megawatts which makes it an additional 240 megawatts. of sudden power outages.
