While on a tour of the plant, Energy deputy minister Judith Kapinga gave the authorities at Tanesco a six-hour ultimatum to restore normalcy.
Dar es Salaam. A fault at the Ubungo power plant on Thursday night, which left many parts of the city in a total blackout, did not spare even Tanesco's headquarters.
While on a tour of the plant, Energy deputy minister Judith Kapinga gave the authorities at Tanesco a six-hour ultimatum to restore normalcy.
The two gas-powered plants run by the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) have 15 turbines, which generate a total of 231 megawatts, but seven of the machines were not working as the utility firm worked to restore the situation.
“I toured the Ubungo Two plant and witnessed that only two turbines were working and one was undergoing maintenance after a fault on Thursday night,” she said, adding that the three turbines produce 43 megawatts each.
She said that at the Ubungo One plant, six turbines were turned off due to the fault, affecting some parts of the country's power supply.
According to her, experts were on site, working around the clock to solve the problem.
“The Ministry is ensuring that Tanzanians have reliable electricity to be able to continue with their activities without interruption,” she said.
She said that following the power shortage, she has directed Tanesco to come up with bold plans, including short, medium, and long terms, that will ensure the power supply stabilises.
“The short-term plans, including maintenance of the power plants, should be done in a short period of time because our goal is to see Tanzanians getting electricity. For the long term, they should have a strong plan to ensure the country has reliable electricity,” she said.
The fault in plants comes barely two days after the new Tanesco managing director, Gissima Nyamo-Hanga, highlighted strategies that will end the power shortage in the country.
He revealed that the country was facing a shortage of 400 megawatts on the national grid, which has led to power rationing in most parts of the country.
According to him, the power shortages will probably end next March.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan directed him to solve the electricity problems within six months.
