Ubungo I Thermal Power Station

Ubungo I Thermal Power Station, also known as the Ubungo Power Plant, is a natural gas-fueled power plant located in Ubungo of Ubungo District in Dar es Salaam Region of Tanzania. It began commercial operations on 30 July 2008 with an installed capacity of 110 megawatts (150,000 hp).[1]

Ubungo I Thermal Power Station
Ubungo Power Plant, Ubungo MC
Map
Map of Tanzania showing the location of Ubungo Thermal Power Station
Official nameUbungo I Thermal Power Station
CountryTanzania
LocationUbungo, Ubungo District
, Dar es Salaam Region
Coordinates6°47′40″S 39°12′30.5″E / 6.79444°S 39.208472°E / -6.79444; 39.208472
StatusOperational
Construction began1994
Commission date1995 (Oil)
2008 (Natural Gas)
Construction costUS$536 Million (2005)
Owner(s)TANESCO
Operator(s)Globeleq & Songas
Thermal power station
Primary fuelNatural gas
Secondary fuelHeavy Oil
Power generation
Units operational2 x 18.5 MW
2 x 37.5 MW
Make and modelSTAL (Oil)
General Electric (Gas)
Nameplate capacity110 MW
External links
WebsiteTanesco website
Secretary Clinton Delivers Remarks at the Ubungo Power Plant in Tanzania

History edit

The Ubungo plant first opened in 1995 as an oil-burning plant. Tanzania's power supply is heavily dependent on hydro power, and after the drought in 2003–2005, the country faced major energy shortages.[1]

The Tanzania Electric Supply Company decided to upgrade the plant's turbines from heavy oil fuels to natural gas, and planned to obtain gas from the Songo Songo gas fields in southern Tanzania. Songas was given the contract to operate the plant and began commercial operations on 20 July 2004.

Globeleq, Songas's majority shareholder, which operates plants that generate up to 25% of Tanzania's energy, is the Ubungo plant's current operator, and spent US$260 million setting up the Songo Songo gas-power project.[2] Most of this investment went into building a 225 km pipeline from their Songo Songo Island gas fields to Ubungo.[3] The pipeline was completed in May 2004, and the first gas reached Dar es Salaam that July.[4]

Ubungo II edit

In July 2011, Siemens Energy secured an order from Jacobsen Elektro for three gas turbines to extend the Tanesco Ubungo power plant, also to be fueled from the Songo Songo gas field. Construction took 14 months and the new turbines went online in July 2012, doubling the plant's output.[5][6]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Ubungo Gas Plant". Tanesco. Tanzania Electric Supply Company. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  2. ^ "Globeleq's Tanzania plant starts commercial operation". Globaleq. 20 July 2004. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  3. ^ "SongoSongo Gas-to-Electricity Project". tpdc-tz. Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Songo Songo Gas Development and Power-Generation Project, Tanzania". offshoretechnology.com. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Ubungo Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant". Power Eng. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  6. ^ "CCGT Plants in Africa - other countries". Industrcards. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2015.