AfricaPress-Tanzania: ENERGY Minister Dr Medard Kalemani has directed the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) Board to ensure all suburbs in the cities are connected to power over the coming six months.
He tasked the board to make a close supervision and monitoring so that all projects could be implemented on time as planned.
He added that all suburbs in all cities across the country must be connected to power.
The minister was talking to members of the board on various power projects, including those in the designated capital, Dodoma.
“You must make a close monitoring and supervision to ensure the company implements all these important projects within six months in all cities across the country,” he insisted.
He used the tour to showcase the board a number of electricity poles in various parts of cities, saying they should be sent to the specific destinations.
He said wananchi were eagerly waiting for power connection and thus asked the board to ensure the company’s management respond effectively and softly to the matter.
The minister commended Tanesco for recording good performance in recent years, saying the company has managed to cover a large part of the country.
“Tanesco has recorded good performance in recent years, with electricity connection; many Tanzanians have been able to engage in various economic activities, which in one way or another boost their individual economy and that of the nation at large,” he said.
Dr Kalemani urged both Tanesco staff and the board to continue with the spirit in the coming year so that the fifth phase government goals to build an industrial economy could be easily achieved.
The minister underscored the need for Tanesco to distribute the electricity poles to respective areas, insisting that the customers should not be charged for the poles but rather connection fees.
He said the government and Tanesco manage the distribution of poles during the connection process; thus they should be distributed to give access to power to those in need.
“The delay in power connection has been linked to lack of the electricity poles, but today I am pleased to see vehicles shipping them to the needed areas, contractors and engineers should do the needful to fast track the connection process,” he said.
Dr Kalemani said there are 2.5 million electricity poles across the country while the actual demand is 1.9 million.
He said with such materials, there is no need for delaying the connection.
Over the past four years, the government has added 480MW to the national grid, a move that has enabled the country have a surplus of 280MW.
The additional megawatts are the results of the completion of various power projects, including the gas-fired Kinyerezi I and Kinyerezi II plants, the Minister of Energy Dr Medard Kalemani revealed on Thursday.
The power in the national grid has also increased to 1602.34MW this year, up from 1038MW that was recorded in 2015, he added.
On power supply in rural areas, about 9,000 villages have been connected to power project from Rural Energy Authority (REA), out of 12,000 villages in the country.
Currently, the State run utility company connects over 250,000 new customers every year in both rural and urban areas and the number keeps on rising.
Moreover, electricity connection of new customers in both rural and urban areas has increased to about 67 per cent.
Tanzania is placed number one for connecting electricity in rural areas. So far the government has already spent 2.8trl on the project.
