JK lists priority investment areas

This is also interesting, the Government recognizes importance of energy. Most important is to put these in practice.

ASSAH MWAMBENE, Arusha Daily News; Tuesday,March 13, 2007 @00:07

PRESIDENT Jakaya Kikwete yesterday listed eight key sub-sectors which the government and the private sector should jointly tackle. They include agriculture, tourism and human resource development. Opening the sixth International Investors Roundtable conference here yesterday, Mr Kikwete said: "Our intention is to see increased investment and business in these sectors; we are ready to go to great lengths to ensure that these aspirations are met," Mr Kikwete told the investors, including Unilever boss, Baroness Lyinda Chalker, and the Aga Khan. The other sub-sectors the president listed as a priority for investment are information and communication technology (ICT), manufacturing industries, power, energy and infrastructure. On tourism, Mr Kikwete said that Tanzania requires increased investment in supportive infrastructure and in services like hotels, tour operations and training institutions with a view of increasing tourist volume from the current 650,000 to about one million by 2010. The president told the forum that the government was looking into the possibility of allowing foreign companies to be listed in the Dar as Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE). He said Tanzania would like to find a lasting solution to the electricity problem, adding that the government's present thrust is to have more alternative energy like gas, coal and wind. On the ICT, the president said the government would like to work with the private sector in ensuring that Tanzania becomes part of the global information superhighway, adding that Tanzania has already made major strides in the area through partnership with Microsoft Company. Mr Kikwete informed the meeting that Tanzania was also giving a serious thought to public private partnership in infrastructure development especially in the railways and roads. Agriculture is another area, which the president said needs to be heavily invested, especially in modernising and mechanizing irrigation projects. The conference has been organised by the Tanzania National Business Council (TNBC) and is being held at the Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge near here.

Together Unveiling the Untapped Oil and Gas Potential

....it seems there are more possibilities to more energy supply. DAILY NEWS Reporter, Arusha Daily News; Thursday,March 08, 2007 @00:08 PRESIDENT Jakaya Kikwete has called for increased gas and oil exploration in East Africa in order to tap the high potential of the natural resources for the region’s development. Opening the third East African Petroleum Conference at Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge here yesterday, President Kikwete said the region remained largely under-explored despite the high potential for oil and gas strikes. “I therefore call upon all investors present here today to look seriously at the region’s potential. We welcome investors, both local and foreign, to look into establishing petroleum service companies in our region to take advantage of the potential for the growth of the petroleum industry,” said Mr Kikwete. More than 300 industry stakeholders are attending the three-day conference that is dubbed EAPC 07. The theme of the conference is: "Together Unveiling the Untapped Oil and Gas Potential”. East Africa, he said, was not only a prospective oil producing region but also offered good market potential for petroleum and its products. “For instance, the consumption of oil in the region stands at more than 32 million barrels annually,” Mr Kikwete said, adding that the world market indicated that the current high demand for petroleum, standing at more than 82.5 million barrels per day, is growing at a rate of 1.3 per cent. Current world market price trends for petroleum and its products may not fall to the levels experienced in the late 1990s since demand was growing and supply falling, he said. The president also underscored the need for natural resources to benefit surrounding communities as experience had shown that endowment with oil resources did not always guarantee prosperity for the people and the respective countries in terms of economic growth. “This is the ultimate challenge for us. Deliberate steps need to be taken to ensure that exploitation of these resources benefit our people, contribute to the growth of our economies while remaining profitable to investors,” Mr Kikwete noted. EAC Secretary General Dr Juma Mwapachu said the conference has been organised at a time when the global energy sector faced a decade of unprecedented change and uncertainty. “Expensive energy, especially for the developing economies, the shift of supplies of oil and natural gas to remote and often geopolitically unstable areas and negative environmental impacts were some of the factors behind the mess,” Dr Mwapachu said.

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Msabaha to inaugurate 9KW power plant

I think such small decentralized energy production and distribution systems would be interesting interms of investment costs. But, how is this taken up in policy making for rural energy access?

Msabaha to inaugurate 9KW power plant

2006-09-16 09:51:57
By Michael Haonga

Hundreds of Kinko Villagers in Lushoto District in Tanga Region have been provided with electricity following completion of installation of a 9KW micro hydro-power plant scheduled for inauguration on 21st September 2006 by Tanzania Traditional Energy Development Organisation (TATEDO) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).

According to a UNIDO Officer in Charge of the UN, Juliet Kabege, all is set for official inauguration of the Micro Hydro Power Scheme at Kinko village on September 21, 2006.

’’We are pleased to inform you that civil works for power generation and distribution as well as installation of equipment has been successfully completed in close collaboration with TATEDO’’, Kabege said.

Inauguration of the first ever joint initiative of TATEDO/UNIDO hydro-power supply scheme in the district will be officiated by the Minister for Energy and Minerals, Dr Ibrahim Msabaha.

The remarkable success to have the scheme operational would not have been possible without active participation by various stakeholders in that endeavour such as the local community and authorities, Tanga Cement and Celtel Tanzania, says the official.

Provision of rural communities with power is undertaken under a UNIDO Rural Energy Initiative Programme being implemented in collaboration with the International Network for Small Hydro Power (INSHP), the Government of Tanzania.

In addition to the supply of power to the villagers, plans are underway for establishment of a community centre with computers and satellite TV in the area as part of the project which started with assessment to that end in 2005 by a team of experts from the aforementioned stakeholders.

Artumas to export power to Kenya

In connection to my earlier posting, there is sufficient power for more than 10% of Tanzania's population, and more sources of electricity will be developed. At the m0ment it may seem interesting to export for earning foreign currency. However, the gas reserves should also contribute to the development of the country through increasing energy access for the rest of 90% of the population who dont have access to electricity.

Artumas to export power to Kenya

Correspondent, Mtwara Daily News; Friday,February 23, 2007 @00:04

KENYA has shown interest to buy surplus electricity to be produced by the Artumas Company from its installations at Mnazi Bay in Mtwara Region, the Minister for Planning Economy and Empowerment, Dr Juma Ngasongwa, said here yesterday. Speaking to journalists and Mtwara Region officials after touring the installations, Dr Ngasongwa said the project would generate power that was enough for various small and medium industries in Lindi and Mtwara regions, as well as 300 mega watts for export to neighbouring Kenya. The minister said export of energy would not only earn the country foreign exchange, but boost the economy. He, however, cautioned the firm on export of gas, saying instead the value added products like fertilizer and electricity could be sold abroad to earn the country more money. ‘‘I am informed there are many countries and foreign firms that have shown interest in buying gas from Mnazi Bay. It is not a bad idea, but you will earn more from selling value added products,’’ he stressed. Giving an example, he said, Artumas could sell gas to South African chemical and fertilizer manufacturers who would in turn export their products to Tanzania and elsewhere. ‘‘Why can’t we make those fertilizers for our own consumption and export the surplus,’’ he asked?

1.5TR/- NEEDED FOR RURAL POWER in Tanzania

Please have a look at the statements by this government official as appeared in one of the local papers. This is significant amount of money. It can be difficult for the government to invest all this money in near future and provide electricity to almost all people in the rural areas, the 80% of the Tanzanian population. 1.5TR/- NEEDED FOR RURAL POWER

VERONICA SIMBA Daily News; Thursday,March 01, 2007 @00:05

ABOUT 1.5tr /- is needed to supply electricity in all areas of the country, Assistant Commissioner for Energy and Petroleum Affairs, Mr Theophilo Bwakea, said yesterday. Mr Bwakea, who spoke to reporters after attending a consultative meeting for electricity stakeholders in Dar es Salaam, said the amount is for transmission and fixing of networks. Speaking earlier at the opening of the meeting, Deputy Minister for Energy and Minerals William Ngeleja said the government was in the final stages of establishing the Rural Energy Agency (REA) with the objective of fostering development of energy services in the rural areas. "This is because access to electricity for the Tanzanian community is exceptionally low, at 10 per cent of the population, out of which only 1 per cent is in rural areas," he revealed. The electricity stakeholders' meeting was organised by the Energy and Water Utility Regulatory Authority (EWURA) to deliberate and share experiences on a number of critical issues concerning the energy sector. Mr Bwakea said currently there is an investment in the energy sector, which will soon make the country stop relying entirely on unreliable hydroelectricity. He said energy supply has started exceeding the demand due to increased investments in the sector. "Currently, we are able to produce 900 megawatts while the consumption is only 650 megawatts," he explained.