Tanzania needs Sh4.42 trillion to end electricity woes

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While tabling his estimates, Energy Minister January Makamba requested for Sh2.905 trillion with Sh2.823 trillion being for development expenditure, only Sh400 billion will be located to the national power utility.

Dodoma. Tanzania needs Sh4.42 trillion to overcome power outage, the Parliamentary Committee on Energy and Minerals has revealed.
The amount will be used in completing improvement of Tanzania’s national power grid.
The committee chairman, Dustan Kindula told the National Assembly on Wednesday June 1, 2022 while presenting the committee’s overview on Energy ministry’s revenue and expenditure estimates for the 2022/23 financial year.
While tabling his estimates, Energy Minister January Makamba requested for Sh2.905 trillion with Sh2.823 trillion being for development expenditure, only Sh400 billion will be located to the national power utility.
“In the financial year 2022/2023, only Sh400 billion has being requested for the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) to start the improvement of the national grid. The committee urges that this money to be released on time,” Kindula said.
He added that government should seek ways to enable Tanesco to pay the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) Sh512.16 billion debt.
“The government should manage the ministries and public institutions that owe Tanesco long-term electricity bills worth Sh444.59 billion to be paid on time so that Tanesco can operate effectively," he said.
Tanesco director general, Mr Maharage Chande, was once quoted with The Citizen saying that the power utility has been losing $7 million (about Sh16.13 billion) a month due to inefficiency, power losses, technical and non-technical issues. He said a lot of work was needed to reverse the trend.