REA signs electric power supply agreements for 14 regions

The Rural Energy Agency (REA) has signed agreements on the implementation of the second phase plan to supply electricity to 14 Regions only out of 24 earmarked for the power supply due to lack of qualified contractors with required standards to work for the remaining ten regions.

This was said yesterday in Dar es Salaam before the signing the contracts by 14 representatives of companies that had won the tender for projects.

The chairperson of The Rural Energy Board, Ambassador Ami Mpungwe said that the move aimed at ensuring that 30 per cent of the Tanzanian population access electric power by the year 2015.

Ambassador Mpungwe mentioned the 14 regions that will witness electric power connectivity as Ruvuma, Arusha, Dodoma, Mara, Iringa, Kilimanjaro, Singida, Mtwara, Mwanza, Tabora, Njombe, Katavi, Shinyanga and Simiyu.

He said 881bn/- is expected to be pumped for the project execution scheduled to be completed by the year 2015. Ambassador Mpungwe mentioned regions that had lacked required contractors as Mbeya, Geita, Kagera, Kigoma, Lindi, Manyara, Morogoro, Coast, Rukwa and Tanga.

The new tender will be re-announced in October this year and its implementation will go along with other regions which had secured contractors.

He said the first phase of the programme started in 2010/2011. REA provided grants to implement electric power projects in 16 regions where the phase was scheduled to be completed by December 2013 and enabling 24,000 new customers access electric power.

Mr Mpungwe mentioned the regions that were under phase one as Kigoma, Kagera, Mwanza, Mara, Arusha, Shinyanga, Kilimanjaro, Manyara, Tanga, Coast, Morogoro, Dodoma, Singida, Mbeya, Rukwa and Tabora.

According to the board chairman, during first phase of the implementation, REA received a grant of 130bn/- from the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO).

“These project has included the construction of electricity lines with a length of approximately 1800 KM of 33 KV, 450 transformers (33/0.4/0.23 KV).

There were also other electric power projects that will supply power with a length of 1000KM,” he said. He said the second phase of the programme, would involve 24 districts of Tanzania mainland including Buhimbwe, Busega, Chemba, Itilima, Kakonko, Kalambo, Kyerwa, Mkalama, Momba, Nyasa, Nanyumbu and Uvinza.

Also the distribution will involve the construction of six stations for supplying electricity and will be buillt in Tunduru, Mbinga, Ngara, Kigoma, Kasulu and Kibondo districts. Mr Mpungwe urged local companies to join forces in securing tenders as out of 14 companies, only six were local companies.

Source: Daily News, reported by Janeth Mtui, from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

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