By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Tanzania national power company on Wednesday said it has started rationing electricity which leaves some areas facing nine-hour blackout, following a drop in hydroelectric output after a severe drought that has lingered.
The East African country can produce nearly 1,695 megawatts of power from hydroelectricity and natural gas, among other sources.
Maharage Chande, the Managing Director of the national power company, Tanesco says the country is dealing with a shortfall of 300 to 350 megawatts.
“There are two main reasons for the drop in production: a prolonged drought and ongoing maintenance of certain sites,” he told reporters in the economic capital Dar es Salaam.
The site of Kihansi for example, in the region of Morogoro (south-east), has seen its production capacity fall from 180 megawatts to only 17 megawatts.
Tanzania has been trying to increase its hydroelectricity production in recent years, an agenda that has bolstered due to the construction of the controversial Julius Nyerere Dam in the Selous Reserve, which was supposed to produce around 2,100 megawatts.
The country has experienced low rainfall and a delayed rainy season, forcing authorities to impose water rationing in Dar es Salaam last month.
