Ifakara power substation reaches 90pc

RESIDENTS of Kilombero, Ulanga, and Malinyi districts in Morogoro Region are set to have access to reliable power services following completion of construction of Ifakara power substation.

The construction of the substation with the capacity to generate 20 Megavolts (MVA 20) is funded by the government in collaboration with the European Union, at a cost of 22.8bn/- .

Rural Energy Agency (REA) Director-General of the), Engineer Hassan Saidy revealed that during a recent visit to Ifakara by development partners led by the European Union.

He said the construction progress has currently reached 90 percent.

Saidy further explained that the construction of electricity distribution infrastructure in the Kilombero and Ulanga districts, covering a total of 82 kilometers has been completed which will reach   approximately 15 villages and hamlets in the Kilombero District.

Engineer Saidy added that the construction of the project began in 2020 and was initially expected to be completed in March this year, but it has been delayed due to various reasons including Covid 19 and the Russia- Ukraine war.

“The completion of this project will avail power to the areas for 24 hours, thus addressing the power woes.”

Janeth Mbene, Chairperson of the Rural Energy Board (REB), assured that the board will oversee full implementation of all projects to ensure that people have access to power.

On his part, Francis Songela, the Project Manager from European Union, expressed satisfaction with the progress of the construction work.

“We are confident that the project will be completed as planned because so far the  larger part of the task  has been completed,” he said.