TANESCO to produce electricity from gas reserves

The power utility giant TANESCO have plans in the pipeline to exploit vast reserves of natural gas in Mtwara region to produce electricity, The Express is informed.
Tanesco Communication Manager Badra Masoud told The Express that plans are underway to tap gas from wells located in Mnazi Bay and Msimbati in Mtwara region, which contains proven reserves of 760 billion cubic feet.
The Tanzanian government plans to construct a pipe line from Mtwara via Somanga to Dar es Salaam, where a 300 MW gas-fired power plant will be situated, and connect the power generated from the plant to the National Grid.
Ms Masoud said the proposed project is expected to be completed by 2017.
The Songo Songo gas well in Kilwa district has been in production since 2004 and the 260km pipe line was constructed from Kilwa to Dar es Salaam, where a 200MW gas-fired power plant was built. The plant is run by Songas.
The Tanzanian government and the PANAFRICA company are working on the gas well expansions to obtain more gas resources for power generation which shall increases and industrial use.
Regarding Mkuranga well in Mkuranga district, Coast region, a French exploration company has confirmed that there is are good signs of gas resources at Mkuranga for electricity generation and agricultural fertilizers.
The Power System Master Plan (2008) proposes a hydro/thermal mix power generation of 50 percent by 50 percent by 2020.
TANESCO generation division is responsible for all power generation functions, where other sources of generation are from independent power producers (IPPs) which feed the National grid and isolated areas as well.
According to TANESCO the generation system consists mainly of Hydro and Thermal based generation. Hydro contributes the largest share of TANESCO’s power generation. The total generation from TANESCO own sources in 2008 was 2,985,275,264 kWh out of which 2,648,911,352 kWh, 90 percent was from Hydro Power Plants.
Total country demand was 4,425,403,157 kWh, of which 33 percent was supplied by IPPs. The hydro-plants operated by TANESCO are all interconnected with the national grid system and their installed capacity for each station is as follows: Kidatu 204 MW, Kihansi 180 MW, Mtera 80 MW, Pangani 68 MW, Hale 21 MW, and Nyumba ya Mungu 8 MW totaling to 561 MW.
TANESCO has been implementing power generation mix program, whereby a substantial amount of generation comes from thermal generation through own generation and independent power plants (IPPs). Own thermal generation comes from the Ubungo 100 MW gas-fired plant in Dar es Salaam.Another 45MW gas-fired power plant located at Tegeta in Dar es Salaam. By the end of year 2008 IPPs contributed a total installed capacity of 282 MW. IPPs powering the national grid include the Independent Power Tanzania Ltd (IPTL) with 100 MW (diesel based) installed capacity and SONGAS (Songo Songo gas – to electricity project) which by the end of 2007 had 182 MW capacity.
TANESCO also imports a total of 10 MW of electric power for Kagera Region from Masaka substation in Uganda while Sumbawanga, Tunduma and Mbozi districts receive about 3 MW from neighbouring Zambia.
There are also several diesel generating stations connected to the national grid in Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Tabora, Dodoma, Musoma and Mbeya. These have installed capacity of 80 MW but the only operational grid diesel based station is Dodoma which contributes about 5 MW and the rest are due for disposal due to obsolescence and high maintenance costs.However a short term plan is being implemented to replace the retired capacity by a 60MW plant at Nyakato, Mwanza by 2011. The other regions, districts and townships namely, Kigoma, Mafia, Mpanda, Tunduru, Songea, Liwale, Ikwiriri, Masasi, Mbinga, Ludewa, Ngara, Bihalamulo, and Kilwa Masoko are dependent on isolated diesel–based generators with a total installed capacity of 31 MW.
Mtwara and Lindi are supplied by M/S Artumas Group Ltd, an IPP based in Mtwara. The total capacity of Artumas power plant is 8MW using gas from Mnazi Bay gas wells in Mtwara.