Construction works on Tanzania’s US $432m Kinyerezi II power project is set to be completed in October this year. This is according to the site’s Genaral Manager, Mr Shoji Watababe.
“We are currently working on a few technical issues before completing the project. The work plan shows that until next month, the project will be concluded,” said Mr Shoji Watababe.
Also Read:Tanzania’s Kinyerezi II power project anticipated to inject 240MW
The first cycle plant
The Genaral Manager added that the project is the first cycle plant to be constructed both in Tanzania and East Africa at large. Construction began in 2016 with the government contributing 15% of the total funding of the project and Japan Bank for International Cooperation and the Sumitomo Mitsui Corporation contributing 85%.
Kinyerezi II power project
Kinyerezi II power project upon completion will add an additional 240MW to the country’s national power grid. So far, the country’s total power generation stands at 1,513.3 MW, but only 782.82 MW of it is generated from natural gas. Once the project is fully operational, it will contribute an additional 36 million standard cubic feet per day to the daily national gas demand and will save up to $1 billion yearly on oil imports for electricity generation.
“More than 50 per cent of national electricity capacity is generated from nine natural gas projects at the moment. At least US $219 has been saved from 2004 to 2017 by using natural gas for power production, consuming 337.58 million standard cubic feet. We also expect to implement other gas-powered projects including the Kinyerezi III and IV,” said Tanzania Electric Supply Corporation (Tanesco) chairman of board of directors Dr. Kyaruzi.
Dr. Kyaruzi also added that the government plans to boost power generation capacity from around 1,500 MW currently to 5,000 MW over the next three years. The project has since benefited Tanzanian citizens through creation of 1500 jobs and at least 1,000 indirect employments.
