Lack of effecient energy poses a threat to vision 2020

The Energy Water and Sanitation Authority (EWSA) has of recent been in the firing line over the intermittent electricity over the last few weeks. Load shedding left thousands in the dark while businesses counted their losses. The authority blamed the outages on two power pylons that were felled by strong wind. It wasn’t just the wind; the authority was quick to point out that there was a human factor.We were told that unscrupulous people, bent on making quick money, had stolen support pillars to the power pylons. So when the winds struck, it was a free fall for the pylons. Well, it was a plausible explanation, Police has since made arrests and some of the pillars recovered.Just as we were about to get used to retiring to lit houses after long hectic days, the water taps suddenly went dry. There is nothing annoying like turning on a water tap for that early morning shower on a work day only to find that it is all dry – I will get to the water issue later.Just a few thoughts on the energy sector. The recent severe load shedding that characterised most parts clearly showed the pivotal role energy plays in socio-economic transformation. The general malaise that hit the city was loud enough, machines suddenly went silent, salons closed and bars run out of business as revelers were kept away by the thought of taking a warm frothy drink.The economy bled.Electricity has been restored but is it sufficient? Your guess is as good as mine. Lack of sufficient energy poses a big threat to the attainment of the Country’s Vision 2020 - a key intervention to achieve MDGs and other economic goals. The sector is supposed to be at the bedrock of the growth of the national economy. It is supposed to spearhead the socio-economic development of the country.The current electricity supply is not only unreliable but expensive. A cursory comparison of electricity tariffs adds credence to this unpalatable truth. For example in neighboring Uganda, it costs about US $0.2 per unit of energy for domestic use. It costs US$ 0.22 for the same purpose here. For commercial use, a unit of energy costs US$0.18 in Uganda; it costs US$ 0.26 in Rwanda during peak hours. The impact this has on the cost of doing business is no brainer.With the electricity access rate currently at 16 percent, it will take massive investment by government and the private sector to attain the 70 percent access rate by 2017 as envisaged in the sector strategic plan. This definitely calls for extra hard work, determination, belief and commitment given the current slightly over 100 MW installed generating capacity.The Ministry of infrastructure has grand plans on paper; for example attaining a cumulative total installed capacity of 1000 MW by 2017 from hydropower resources, Methane Gas, Geothermal, Peat Resources and Biomass solutions. The big task is interesting investors and soliciting funding to see these grand plans through and with the extraordinary success of the country’s Eurobond, there is hope.Back to water, another big challenge that the authority faces is provision of enough water both for industrial and domestic use in the city. EWSA has blamed the recent water scarcity on blockages of water pipes as a result of the heavy rains. Mud has clogged the pipes, they say.The city water network is far from efficient. The non revenue water rate is still very high, accounting for 40 percent of the water produced. This translates into about Rwf5billion loss annually. Addressing challenges in water supply especially in the city should start with revamping the city water network so that the little that is pumped is not lost. A clamp down on illegal consumers should be intensified.It is all water and electricity on my mind today.