GESI YA MTWARA: Mtwara - Sleeping Giant Turned Economic Powerful

Mtwara

BY LAONARD MWAKALEBELA

OPINION

'I BELIEVE I can fly' is a very popular hit by American music R Kelly. Now the song is a reality to residents of Mtwara and Lindi regions following availability of reliable electricity and discovery of gas. The two have become antidote for the residents as they have changed their lives drastically.

For those who are going to Mtwara and Lindi now without booking for hotel rooms, they must be prepared for the consequence. Finding hotel room in the two regions now is as cumbersome as it was for reaching the two regions 10 years ago.And for those who are going to the two regions with 'a thin pocket', they will face the music.

Availability of reliable power and discovery of gas have tremendously changed lives of people and state of affairs of the two regions.More opportunities are opening up, lifestyle has changed and prices of goods and services have gone up while more residents are earning more and more than before.

The government made various initiatives to tap natural gas discovered in order to change lives of the residents of Mwara and Lindi and their economy.Last April, the government decided to take a power generation plant from a private company, Artumas and now the power plant is generating electricity using natural gas instead of heavy fuel (furnace) as before.

According to Mtwara Regional Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) Acting Engineer Idefonce Arthur, the power generating plant has a capacity to generate 18MW of electricity while the actual demand is 13MW.The acting engineer said 7.5MW of electricity from the plant that uses natural gas to generate power, is distributed in Mtwara region and another 5.5MW in Lindi region.

"Surprisingly, while most regions in the country are experiencing power blackouts, there's no power blackout in the two regions and power rationing is now a history", proudly stated Mr Arthur.The acting engineer however stated that Liwale district is not yet connected due to distance and a diesel powered plant is now being installed in the area.

He said since the power plant started generating enough electricity using natural gas, the public awareness and demand to have power connection has increased mostly also. Last year, the government, too, reduced connection charges (for the two regions) from 455,000/- to 99,000/- in areas that do not require electric poles. Areas that do require electric poles customers now are paying 995,778.79/- instead of 1,510,000/-.

Source: allAfrica