ENERGY CRISIS IN TANZANIA
BY MR.
ISACK AUGUSTINE KIA SOLAR COMPANY’S PRO
There is a power crisis in the country
characterized by intermittent power cut, the greater crisis is still the fact
that less that 15 percent of the 44.9 million populations have no access to electricity.Yet,
Tanzania is richly endowed or in other words blessed with many alternative
power sources which, if fully utilized, could produce enough electricity for
local consumption and regional export. Potential sources include wind, natural
gas, hydro, solar, solid and liquid water, geothermal and nuclear. But
amazingly Tanzania relies on hydro-power for 55 percent of its energy needs and
the threat of total darkness is emitted if the water level at intra hydro-dam
want rise.
Partly
because of disrepairing of infrastructure, 21 percent of the power generated is
lost through power transmission and distribution lines as a matter of course.
Due to rapid increase of the energy user‘s the total demand of electricity
stands at 800Mw.
But all the hydro-power generated at Mtera,
Kidatu, Hale and Nyumba ya Mungu dams, as well as the power from natural gas at
Ubungo IPTL and elsewhere is for below demand. The reason behind such under
utilization of the available resources are includes a lack of technical
knowledge, financing at the local level, poor and fake investors response.
Probably
the most dramatic fake investment is Richmond. In 2006 Tanzania faced a serious
crisis in electricity supply and as an emergency measure Richmond was awarded a
control to supply generators to provide 100 mega watts at a cost of Tshs. 172
billion. The generators failed to arrive on time and when they did not work as
required.
According
to the research done by engineer Nuhu Kimena the employee of KIA Solar Power
Company, states that the country’s existence energy policy and registration do
not encourage potential investors to the energy sector.”Unless Tanzania makes a
U-turn in its energy policies, the country will be in a power crisis for many
years to come,” Nuhu Kimena said in his report to the company.
In
briefly, unless until something positive is done to make the active energy
policy, Tanzanian will continue to face energy crisis well into the future
until the end of the World. In order the county to
put itself in safe side from upcoming and existing energy crisis the government
has to do something positive to change the situation. First and foremost is to
dedicate land for excusive installation of solar power plants, thus currently
approximately 1km2 for every 20-60 mega watts (MW).There government,
private institutions and householders should turn their focus on solar power as
anew alternative source of energy.
