THE government is set to execute a 6.7tri/- mega project to electrify all hamlets in the country.
The development comes after the country by now has registered significant success in the rural electrification project.
The Deputy Minister for Energy Stephen Byabato informed the National Assembly here yesterday that, the government has completed verification of 36,101 hamlets, which are yet to be electrified.
He added that it has also prepared a mega project to electrify the areas dubbed Hamlet Electrification Project.
“This project will be implemented for five years from 2024/2025 financial…the government is currently finalising procedures to secure funds for its execution,” Mr Byabato said.
He noted that, the project will be implemented depending on the availability of funds.
The deputy minister was responding to a basic question by Rorya MP Jafari Chege, (CCM) who wanted to know the government’s plans to connect electricity to all hamlets in the country.
He explained that, the government through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) is implementing a project for electrifying all villages in the country through REA III Round II in which all villages which are not connected to electricity will be reached with the service.
Mr Byabato noted that, the project also targets villages which have no even a single hamlet which has been electrified.
Asking a supplementary question Urambo MP Margaret Sitta wanted to know when will the government complete the construction of a substation at Uhuru Village in Urambo District to end frequent power cuts facing the area.
Responding, he said the construction of the substation at Uhuru Village is one the 14 projects of constructing substations in every district being implemented under the National Grid Stabilisation Project.
Besides the constructing substations across the country, the project is also strengthening power infrastructure in various regions to address the problem of frequent power cuts in various parts of the country.
“The construction of substations has already started to be implemented and we expect that it will be completed in the next 12 months including the substation at Uhuru Village in Urambo.
The completion of the project will ensure reliable power supply because there will be enough substations, he said.
Tabling the budget estimates for Ministry of Energy for 2023/2024, the minister in charge of the docket- January Makamba said that despite the success registered in electrifying villages more than 50 per cent of hamlets in the country have not been reached with the service.
However, he expressed government commitment to make sure that the areas are connected to electricity.
Adding: “The government intends to connect every hamlet in the country to electricity and the process will commence in the next financial year and the work will be done in phases, especially in the new system which will speed up its execution.”
