Karamagi: Nitafurahi IPTL ikivunja mkataba

WAZIRI wa Nishati na Madini, Nazir Karamagi amesema atafurahi iwapo atasikia Kampuni binafsi ya kuzalisha umeme ya IPTL ikivunja mkataba wake na serikali.

Akizungumza na waandishi wa habari katika ofisi ndogo za Bunge wakati wa kikao cha Kamati ya Bunge ya Uwekezaji na Biashara, Dar es Salaam jana, Waziri Karamagi alisema hatua hiyo itasaidia kupunguza mzigo wa kuilipa mamilioni ya fedha kampuni hiyo.

“Nitafurahi sana kama IPTL siku moja nikisia inavunja mkataba na serikali, kwa sababu tumekuwa tukitoa kiasi kikubwa cha fedha kwa ajili ya kuilipa kutokana na kuzalisha umeme kwa muda mrefu sasa,” alisema Waziri Karamagi.

Alisema jambo hilo ni la hiari na wala serikali haina mamlaka kwa vile IPTL bado ina mkataba wa miaka 11 na serikali katika uzalishaji wa nishati hiyo muhimu kwa matumizi ya wananchi.

“Hili ni suala la hiari kwa kuwa IPTL bado wana mkataba wa miaka 11 mbele yetu, lakini kwa sasa itaendelea na mkataba wake hadi ukapomalizika kama makubaliano yaliyopo yanavyoonyesha kwenye mkataba,” alisema Waziri Karamagi.

Kuhusu muswada wa sheria ya umeme, Waziri Karamagi alisema endapo utapitishwa na kuwa sheria, utasaidia serikali kupunguza mzigo mzito iliyonao katika uendeshaji wa Shirika la Umeme Tanzania (Tanesco).

Alisema licha ya gharama za uwekezaji kwenye sekta ya umeme kuwa kubwa, ambapo kwa mwekezaji yeyote atataka kupata faida, jambo ambalo kwa hivi sasa haliepukiki.

Alisema ujio wa sheria mpya utasaidia kuondoa sheria iliyotungwa miaka mingi iliyopita, lengo likiwa ni kukabiliana na hali ya mageuzi ya kiuchumi.

Alisema mbali ya sheria hiyo, serikali imeanzisha chombo cha wakala wa usambazaji umeme vijijini ambacho kitakuwa na kazi ya kusambaza nishati ambacho kitakuwa kinapewa ruzuku na serikali.

Source: Tanzania Daima, jan 18, 2008

Ewura kudhibiti bei ya umeme sekta binafsi

WAZIRI wa Nishati na Madini, Nazir Karamagi amesema kwamba Mamalaka ya Udhibiti wa Nishati na Maji (Ewura) itaendelea kuratibu bei za umeme wakati sekta binafsi itakapoanza kuzalisha nishati hiyo kuepusha wazalishaji kujipangia bei.

Karamagi alisema jana kuwa Ewura ndicho chombo cha serikali ambacho kitaendelea na jukumu hilo la uratibu baada ya sheria ya kuliondolea ukiritimba Shirika la Umeme Tanzania (Tanesco) itakapoanza kutumika.

Muswada huo ambao jana ulikuwa unajadiliwa na wadau mbalimbali utawasilishwa katika kikao kijacho cha Bunge. Muswada huo una lengo la kuiwezesha sekta ya umeme iwe bora na inayopatikana kwa bei nafuu.

Waziri alisema uwekezaji wa umeme ni gharama kubwa hivyo anaamini kuwa wawekezaji kwenye sekta hiyo watakuwa wachache hali itakayolazimu Ewura kuendelea kuratibu bei hizo.

“Labda kwa hapo baadaye wanaweza kuwa wengi hivyo serikali inaweza kuruhusu kila mtu kujipangia bei yake, lakini kwa kuanzia naamini ewura wataendelea na jukumu hilo,” alisema wakati anazungumza kwenye kikao cha kamati ya Bunge ya Uwekezaji na Biashara.

Awali wadau walitahadharisha kuwa wawekezaji hao wanaweza kujipangia bei kama ilivyo katika sekta za simu na benki hivyo kusababisha kusiwepo na unafuu wa nishati hiyo.

Wadau hao pia waliomba serikali kutunga sheria zitakazowabana wawekezaji hao wasiweze kuanzisha mradi wa umeme na baadaye wakafunga mradi huo hali ambayo inaweza kusababisha usumbufu kwa wananchi.

Waliipongeza hatua ya serikali kuandaa muswada huo ambao utafuta sheria ya umeme ya mwaka 1931 ambao ulikuwa unaipa haki Tanesco pekee kuwa wazalishaji, wasambazaji wa umeme.

Source: HabariLeo; Wednesday,January 16, 2008 @00:05

Morogoro gizani

Wilaya tatu za Mkoa wa Morogoro, ziko gizani kwa siku mbili sasa kufuatia transfoma inayosambaza nishati hiyo kwa wilaya hizo kupata hitilafu na kuteketea kabisa.

Wilaya zilizoathiriwa na hali hiyo ni Morogoro, Kilosa na Mvomero.

Tatizo hilo lilitokea juzi usiku, lilisababishwa na radi ambapo pia iliunguza jenereta tegemezi ya hospitali ya Mkoa wa Morogoro.

Kaimu Meneja wa Shirika la Umeme Nchini (Tanesco) mkoani Morogoro, Bw. Mhandisi Theodory Bayona aliiambia PST jana kuwa, hitilafu hiyo ilisababishwa na radi iliyopiga kituo hicho juzi saa 1:30 usiku.

Bw. Bayona alisema kazi ya kuirejesha huduma hiyo katika hali ya kawaida ni ngumu na hawajui itakamilika lini.

Hata hivyo, alisema jitihada za kuhakikisha kwamba kazi hiyo inakalimika mapema iwezekanavyo, zinaendelea.

Alisema transfoma iliyoungua ni ya kilovoti 33 na kwamba kilichokwamisha kuanza mapema kwa matengenezo hayo ni kukosekana kwa vifaa ambavyo vimeagizwa Tanesco makao makuu ya jijini Dar es Salaam na mkoani Dodoma pamoja na baadhi ya mafundi kwa ajili ya kuifanya kazi hiyo.

Aidha, taarifa kutoka Mamlaka ya Maji Safi na Maji Taka iliyothibitishwa na wataalam wa maji waliotembelea eneo la tukio jana, zinasema asilimia 70 ya wakazi wa Manispaa ya Morogoro wanaotegemea chanzo cha maji cha bwawa la Mindu, hawatapata huduma ya maji hadi tatizo hilo la umeme litakapopatiwa ufumbuzi.

Mjumbe wa Bodi ya Maji MORWASA ambaye pia ni Katibu Tawala wa Mkoa wa Morogoro, Bw. Godfrey Ngaleya aliyetembelea eneo la tukio, alisema hali hiyo inatokana na mashine za maji zilizopo katika chanzo hicho kushindwa kusukuma maji bila nguvu ya umeme.

Kwa sasa, wanaopata maji ni wakazi wanaoishi maeneo ya milimani ambao hawategemei chanzo hicho.

Katika hatua nyingine, Mganga Mkuu wa Mkoa wa Morogoro, Dk. Meshack Massi alisema hitilafu hiyo ya umeme, pia ilijeruhi watu saba na kuunguza jenereta ya akiba na tegemezi kwa katika hospitali kuu ya Mkoa wa Morogoro sambamba na kukosekana kwa huduma ya maji.

Alisema kutorejea haraka kwa huduma ya umeme, kutawathiri wagonjwa hasa walio katika Chumba cha Uangalizi Maalum (ICU) na upasuaji.

Alisema majeruhi sita kati yao, walipatiwa matibabu na kuruhusiwa jana lakini mmoja bado hali yake siyo nzuri na alichukuliwa na wazazi wake na kuhamishiwa jijini Dar es Salaam kwa matibabu zaidi.

Alisema kwa sasa wanategemea jenereta ndogo mbili ambazo hazina nguvu ya kuweza kufanya kazi kwa zaidi ya saa tatu mfululizo.

Kutokana na hali hiyo, ameiomba Tanesco kufanya jitihada za kuhakikisha huduma hiyo inarudi haraka.

Alisema tatizo hilo limekuja katika kipindi kibaya cha siku kuu za mwisho wa mwaka ambapo ajali na matukio mengi ya majereha hutokea.

Kwa sasa hospitali pekee inayoweza kupokea wagonjwa na kuwahudumia kikamilifu ni ya Mtakatifu Francis iliyopo Ifakara wilayani Kilombero.

Source: Nipashe

New power tariffs yet to apply in Zanzibar

The newly announced nationwide hikes in electricity tariffs and service line connection charges, in use in mainland Tanzania since last Tuesday, are yet to take effect in the Isles.

The reason given for the delay in implementing the directive, which has the blessings of the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (Ewura) on request from the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco), is that the matter must be subjected to further scrutiny by the government.

``Following the sensitive nature of the directive, the matter has been sent to the Union government authorities for necessary further consideration,`` Zanzibar Electricity Corporation (ZECO) spokesperson Salum Hassan said here yesterday.

He explained that the three topmost ZECO officials had met Tanesco and Ewura officials over the issue �but no consensus was reached``.

``That`s why the matter has now been forwarded to Prime Minister Edward Lowassa and Isles Chief Minister Shamsi Vuai Nahodha, the two government officials co-chairing a committee responsible for resolving it,`` he added. He would not say how long the committee would take to deal with the issue.

Hassan said representatives of the Tanesco, ZECO and Ewura management teams had held a meeting at which Tanesco distanced itself from the decision to raise power tariffs for Zanzibar consumers by 168 per cent, explaining that it had proposed a hike of only 39 per cent.

According to the ZECO official, Ewura admitted that it had not properly understood Tanesco`s recommendations ``but noted that there was no possibility of reversing the decisions reached on new tariffs and charges``.

Hassan said that, until now, no committee has sat to discuss revising the Ewura-sanctioned tariffs in respect of the Isles` side.

But he expressed the view that most people would be ``seriously overburdened if the changes are implemented as passed by Ewura because they earn very low incomes``.

``That is why ZECO is working closely with the government to settle the problem,`` he pointed out.He said that, with the proposed tariffs in force, ZECO would be forced to spend more than 2.1bn/- a month buying 40MW, up from the current 900m/-.

``That would surely shatter the Zanzibar government`s dream of supplying power to the rural population as one way of reducing poverty levels among the people,`` noted Hassan further.

Ewura last month approved 21.7 per cent hike in power tariffs in mainland Tanzania and a much bigger rise in service line connection charges, saying that was meant to help Tanesco remain afloat.

The move has since sparked off a countrywide outcry, with consumers complaining that it would make their lives overly difficult and adversely affect the national economy.

There have also been complaints that Ewura had acted unilaterally, with the pre-implementation public hearings the agency organised involving too few stakeholders to make a difference.

SOURCE: Guardian