Zanzibar looking to cut power dependence on Tanzania

• 10 years ago (2014-04-09)
• Junior Isles

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The semi-autonomous Zanzibar government is considering plans to generate its own regional power and cut its dependence on the Tanzania mainland, according to media reports.

Zanzibar currently receives all power from the mainland via a new 100 MW submarine cable which became operational in April 2013 and replaced a previous 45 MW cable in operation since 1980. Zanzibar’s second island of Pemba has its own 20 MW cable, completed in 2010.

The Zanzibar government now feels the power bill from Tanzania’s main power utility, Tanzania Electric Power Supply Company (Tanesco,) is unacceptably high at Tsh 5 billion ($3 million) and is looking for local generation solutions.

The Zanzibar Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy, Mustapha Aboud Jumbe Mwinyi, said power dependency on the mainland has negatively affected the Isles’ development. Threats made by Tanesco to disconnect Zanzibar’s power also remained a source of great frustration for the government.

For their part, Tanesco maintains that in January this year Zanzibar owed Tanesco Tsh 70 billion ($41.2 million) in power payments. The Zanzibar government owned power company Zanzibar Electric Company Limited (Zeco) disputes this figure and says Zanzibar owes only Tsh 44 billion ($25.8 million).

A joint meeting of the two boards of directors of Tanesco and Zeco has resulted in agreement on payment of roughly Tsh 18 billion ($10.6 million) as an advance payment, but the unsatisfactory situation means Zanzibar will be looking further afield for generation solutions going into the future.