Tanzania is facing a serious shortage of power that has forced the country to start rationing electricity because of a drop in hydropower generation brought on by drought.
Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (Tanesco) said some areas in the country suffer nine-hour outages.
The country has the capacity to generate nearly 1,695 megawatts through hydropower, natural gas and other means.
But it is facing a shortage of 300 to 350 megawatts, Tanesco managing director Maharage Chande said.
“There are two major reasons which have caused the shortages in generation: prolonged drought and ongoing maintenance in some of our plants,” Chande said.
The affected plants include Kihansi in southeast Morogoro region, whose capacity has fallen from 180 megawatts to 17 megawatts, he said.
“Water levels have decreased in most sources, forcing our plants to generate below their capacity,” Chande said.
The country is trying to increase its hydropower capacity, including through the construction of the controversial Julius Nyerere dam project in the Selous Game Reserve, which is expected to produce 2,100 megawatts once operational.
Tanzania, like its East African neighbors, has been experiencing poor rainfall and delayed monsoons, leading authorities to impose water rationing in Dar es Salaam last month because of a drought-induced fall in water levels.
