KIGALI - After a relatively stable power supply for months, Kigali City dwellers and others in some parts of the country are experiencing instant power cuts.

Several streets on some highways and a number of city suburbs have had to endure power blackouts as Electrogaz – the public electricity and water utility – turns to load shedding.

Our correspondent in Nyagatare, Eastern Province says that recently most parts of the province were without power for about three days, although the problem has since been fixed.
Electrogaz has attributed the power cuts to the technical repairs going on at Gikondo power station in Kigali.

The parastatal’s Director General John Mirenge said yesterday that the ongoing power blackouts are a result of the exercise to replace old power dispatch switch with new one at that station.

He said the switch’s capacity at Gikondo power dispatch centre was worn out, and replacing it with new one is the best solution.

"Such repairs take time and results in such cases (power cuts) of some electricity supplying lines,” he explained.

He said that to disconnect and re-fix one power line takes at least eight hours, and that so far that so far of the 16 city power supply lines, only six have been worked on and the remaining ones will be completed in the course of the month.   
Mirenge however said that power supply will remain steady between 55 and 60 megawatts during the evening peak consumption hours.

An acute power shortage hit the country about three years ago following a sharp fall in water levels in lakes Ruhondo and Burera in the Northern Province.

And although the water levels rose and other long-term remedies devised, hydroelectric power is still being supplement by generators, which cost taxpayers billions.

On the issue of water shortage around Kigali City, the Electrogaz boss whose said: "We have started to receive 8,000 cubic metres out of 11,000 cubic metres expected from Karenge water plant.”

Water consumption in the city will rise from the current 29,000 to 37,000 cubic metres per day, he added.

He said the suburbs that will benefit first from the new source are Kanombe, Remera and Kabeza, areas that are among the hardest hit in as far as water shortage is concerned.

Consumers in these areas have to dig deep into their pockets to buy water.

Sometimes a jerry can of 20 litres goes for as much as Frw 200.

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