Africa-Press – Tanzania. The Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) is installing additional natural-gas powered plants in Ubungo, Dar es Salaam, to ramp up power generation by 345MW as hydropower runs low in a drought.
This was revealed by the country’s public electricity supply utility, Maharage Chande in Dar es Salaam, as he added the move will add 21 percent of total power production.
Mr Chande said 40 per cent of power used in the country is generated at major hydropower stations Kihansi, Kidatu and Pangani, which have been adversely affected by droughts.
The director said that TANESCO staff was doing whatever possible to ensure the plant is installed by the end of this month of November.
“We are speeding up the renovation of some plants including Ubungo I which will generate 25MW, the expansion of 185MW Kinyerezi I and Ubungo III with 112 megawatt,” he said.
Currently, according to the boss, Dar es Salaam infrastructures including 13 out of 27 cooling stations in the commercial city are overwhelmed due to the increased number of customers.
While TANESCO is still working on the matter, the director cautioned that the process of stalling and servicing some plants may affect power supply to some areas.
TANESCO is a sole public company that generates purchases, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity to Tanzania Mainland and sells bulk power to the Zanzibar Electricity Corporation (ZECO), which in turn sells it to the public in islands Unguja and Pemba.
TANESCO owns most of the electricity generating, transmitting, and distributing facilities in Tanzania Mainland with an estimated population of over 50 million.
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