Why We Turned Off Five Electricity Power Plant

Excessive power supply has reportedly forced authorities in Tanzania to shut down five hydroelectric stations, Naija News learnt.

A statement credited to the country’s Prime Minister, Kassim Majaliwa, said the decision was taken to decrease surplus electricity in the national grid.

Majaliwa mentioned that the primary facility, Mwalimu Nyerere Hydroelectric Station, produced sufficient electricity to supply major cities such as Dar es Salaam, the nation’s commercial centre.

This marks the first occasion that Tanzania, plagued by persistent power deficits, has shut down hydroelectric stations due to overproduction.

“We have turned off all these stations because the demand is low and the electricity production is too much; we have no allocation now,” an official from the state-run power company, Tanesco, told journalists during the week.

The Julius Nyerere Hydropower Dam, with a capacity of 2,115MW, is reportedly nearing its full capacity due to heavy rainfall since the beginning of this year.

In contrast, despite Nigeria having an installed capacity of 1,938MW and a grid installed capacity of 1,899MW, the country is facing challenges in providing electricity to 85 per cent of its consumers. Nigeria, with an installed capacity of 13,000MW, is struggling to electrify a significant portion of its population.

It is worth noting that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) recently announced a 15 per cent increase in tariffs for high-end electricity users.

This decision has resulted in prioritizing electricity supply to users who receive 20 to 24 hours of electricity while leaving the remaining 85 per cent of consumers in darkness.