TANESCO workers challenged to increase efficiency in power supply

THE Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) employees have been challenged to use their professions to ensure that the country has reliable power that would lead to industrialization in the next 10 years.
Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Minerals,Porf. James Mdoe, made that call when addressing the power utility's Master Workers Council in Dar-es-Salaam recently. " When we talk of the country becoming industrialized, we need to have reliable power supply that will cater for the industries," he said.
He said TANESCO should priorities the community in power supply as this will build a good image of the company. "The time for business as usual is long gone. ti's high time that everyone works efficiently to boost the economy of the country," noted Prof. Mdoe.
He said despite many challenges facing the company, the small allocated budget to it should be used judiciously. on the other hand, he said the challenges should precipitate creative thinking so as to push Tanzania on another development stage. 
He applauded the company's efforts in ensuring that many people in the country have access to electricity and promised maximum cooperation in tacking its challenges.
TANESCO Managing Director Felcheesmi Mramba noted that the comppany has set aside 966bn/- for its projects in the 2016/17 financial year. "The funds that are being generated from the government and development patners are estimated at 449bn/- while TANESCO itself will generate 517/-, Mramba said.
 He admitted that the company in the previous years had been incurring a net loss of 477bn/- due to the hired temporary power plants. "To date the net loss has gone down up to 200bn/- because the company has suspended all the temporary plants and remains with Son-gas and IPTL as long term plants," he explained.
The hired plants had caused a big burden to the company because one unit was sold for 1,000/- while TANESCO had to sell 1 at 100/- causing them a loss of 900/-, according to Mramba. He praised government fr its effort to assist the company in clearing its debts, pointing  out the indicative electricity price set by EWURA does not give  room to pay their existing debts.
TANESCO in the past financial year issued out three percent of its revenues amounting t 50mn/- to support the rural electrification project which is under the Rural Energy Agency (REA). The company has also cntributed in boosting the economy by paying a value added tax of 290bn/- to the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA).
A representative of the Master Workers Council Gregory Chegele, pledged maximum support to enable the company achieve its goals. "We are going to collaborate with the government in overseeing that all the National Electricity Policy objectives are reached," he pointed out.

Source: Daily News