AfricaPress-Tanzania: TANZANIA mining sector has been assured of reliable electricity supply upon completion of the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP) in June, 2022.
The assurance was issued by Vice-President Samia Suluhu Hassan, during the International Mineral and Mining Investment Conference 2021 in Dar es Salaam, on Monday.
“Mining companies in Tanzania continue to face the challenge of reliable and stable power for their operations, thus leading to higher operating costs. But let me assure you that the problem will be solved once and for all after the completion of Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project,” she said.
Ms Samia said the project is expected to produce 2,115 megawatts of electricity, which will be enough for every sector in the country and have a reserve to supply to other countries.
She further said during the campaigns for the 2020 General Election, she met with small scale miners in Chunya District, Mbeya Region, whose major problem was reliable electricity that hindered them from conducting modern mining.
“I want to promise you that Chunya will get sufficient and reliable electricity supply as well as other areas that still do not have electricity,” she remarked.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Energy Dr Medard Kalemani, who toured the Julius Nyerere Hydro-Power Project (JNHPP) site on Sunday said the process to fill water in the dam will commence on November 15th, 2021, and by April 15, 2022, the exercise will be complete, so that one month later, the electricity generation could commence.
He, therefore, instructed the contractor and Project Manager to ensure that all preparatory activities are completed as early as October, this year, so that the filling of water in the dam begins timely as planned.
“This is good news as we are closing in on the exercise to start generating electricity,” he said.
Dr Kalemani also directed the contractor to be closely supervised to complete the work within the scheduled time.
Dr Kalemani gave three instructions to the contractor — Arab Contractors and Elsewedy Electric from Egypt to increase the number of workers, bring enough equipment to the site to enable them finish the work in time before the filling of the water commences.
The minister further asked the project manager to make sure he supervises the contractor in order to ensure the dam is filled with water as required under the contract and not otherwise.
According to Dr Kalemani, the government had already paid the contractor 1.902tri/- by February 2021, which is 100 per cent of the payment of his work plan, where the project is scheduled to be completed by June 14, 2022.
For his part, the Acting Resident Engineer of the project, Emmanuel Mwandambo assured the minister that he will fully implement all the directives to enable them to achieve the goals of completion of the project by that time.
Meanwhile, the minister urged the contractors to comply with government directives contained in investment contracts on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Dr Kalemani mentioned some of the implementations of such projects such as building a school, health centre and 41 kilometres road construction at tarmac level from Tazara Fuga Station to the project.
