19 October 2006, by PowerNell. Nobody understands anymore what is going on. Dar es Salaam had power Sunday, yesterday and today, but newspapers and television report that power rationing will get worse soon. "The situation is so bad that there is no other option left other than to extend rationing during nught hours," a senior official of Tanesco told The Citizen. According to this newspaper night rationing would be imposed for for up to a month (The Citizen, October 19, 2006). One is wondering, WHY does Dar es Salaam have power today? Wouldn"t it be much wiser to save this electricity for the nights?

Situation at Mtera unclear

It is even unclear whether the Mtera Dam power plant is still working. Yesterday the Daily News reported that Mtera was switched off, but although this was a front page article, it was not published on their website. The new minister of energy denied yesterday that Mtera was closed "for all he knew". According to other sources Mtera may remain closed during peak hours in the day and resume operation at night. "This way there would be enough water available for merely a week or so" (source: (The Citizen, October 19, 2006). One can conclude:
1. The situation is bad
2. The situation is getting worse
3. No one knows what the situation is
4. No one knows what to do
What I would really like to know
I am not a journalist. I get my information from the newspapers. I have been reading a lot about the ongoing power crisis and there are a few things that I miss in the reports and analyses. To start with: a daily update on the water level in Mtera Dam, a daily update of rainfall in in the Mtera catchment area and a daily update on the countrywide generated power. Furthermore: a map of Tanzania that indicates all the power-related locations: the hydropower stations, the Kiwira and Mchuchuma coal mine, Tegeta, Ubongo and Kinyerezi, IPTL, the Songa Songa gas field and the potential hydropower sites Ruhudji, Rumakali and Stiegler"s Gorge. And finally some technical information. We have read so much about generators, turbines and megawatts, but no one explained us even once what the difference is between a generator and a turbine. And can someone please tell me how much rain we need to fill up the Mtera Basin to acceptable levels? Or is that considered an official secret?
Clik here for the ElectricityTanzania Weblog