BRafr-September2017

AFRICA
of that programme, because we’re
part of the solution in Tanzania.”
Whittaker has 35 years of
experience in energy, including
25 in power generation. Having
worked for big industry names like
Powergen, E.ON, and Sumitomo,
Whittaker took on his current role
with Songas in 2015, and
has been applying
his expertise to the
well-established
company ever
since this time.
When Songas’
business began,
it was the only
gas fired generator
in the country and it
supplied between 30-50%
of the electricity in Tanzania. While
it is more like 25%, the company
remains an extremely important
part of the local electricity
generation sector. This is due in
part to its very high availability
(98%) and a load factor of 92%.
“Songas is very important to
Tanzania because it’s reliable and
72
Number of
employees
at Songas
we’re constantly generating,”
explains Whittaker. “We are
running 24/7, and our electricity
is the cheapest thermal generator
in East Africa; we sell to TANESCO
at about six cents a kilowatt.”
This not only benefits citizens
wanting electricity from a clean,
reliable, cost-effective
source, but ensures
that Songas remains
a top choice as a
supplier. Globeleq,
one of Songas’
shareholders, is
dedicated to power
development
in Africa
and works
hard to supply
electricity on the continent,
a known driver for social and
economic development.
Using Tanzanian gas, Songas
can continue to provide electricity
more economically than the fuel
oil generators which have to import
the gas into the country; this has
saved Tanzania billions of US dollars
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