DAR ES SALAAM, Sept 28, 2023 (AFP) – Drought and maintenance issues have forced Tanzania to ration electricity, the national provider said, as power shortages roil the East African nation. The authorities imposed rationing measures last week, with the Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (Tanesco) saying on Wednesday that the shortages would end by March next year. Tanzania currently has the capacity to generate about 1,900 megawatts, according to Gissima Nyamo-Hanga, the new managing director […]
Tag: Electricity
Sweltering heat in Vietnam’s north sparks power cuts
HANOI, June 3, 2023 (AFP) – Hanoi residents flocked to the Vietnamese capital’s air-conditioned shopping malls on Saturday to escape power cuts at home, as the grid struggled to cope with the high demand caused by soaring heat. Vietnam is one of many countries across South and Southeast Asia experiencing record-high temperatures in recent weeks. As the temperature rose to 36 degrees Celsius, Bui Manh Duc Tai and his napping girlfriend were among those at […]
Cash-strapped Bangladesh shuts power plant as heatwave hits
DHAKA, June 5, 2023 (AFP) – Cash-strapped Bangladesh shut its biggest power plant Monday because it was unable to afford the coal to fuel it, as a sweltering heatwave creates surging electricity demand. The 1,320-megawatt government-run Payra Power Plant in southern Bangladesh had already slashed production last month due to fuel shortages, but it was forced to go a step further on Monday, manager Shah Abdul Mawla told AFP. “Due to the coal shortage, the […]
Heatwave prompts Hanoi to reduce street lights as power cuts loom
HANOI, May 31, 2023 (AFP) — Faced with record-breaking heat, Vietnam’s capital Hanoi has turned off some street lights to save electricity as demand for air conditioning soars. Parks in the city of eight million people are now plunged into total darkness after 11 pm, while two-thirds of street lights are also switched off at the same hour. Scientists have warned that global warming is intensifying extreme weather events such as heatwaves. In early May, […]
Sun, wind power make record 12% of world electricity: survey
Paris, France | AFP | Wednesday 4/12/2023 Solar and wind energy surged to make a record 12 percent of the world’s electricity in 2022, a climate think tank calculated in a report Wednesday — though coal remained the leading source globally. The report provides the latest gauge of renewable energy growth as countries scramble to meet emissions targets to curb climate change and secure alternative power sources after gas-exporter Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February […]
Hundreds of thousands without power in Canada after ice storm
Montreal, Canada | AFP | Friday 4/8/2023 by Anne-Sophie THILL Hundreds of thousands of homes in eastern Canada remained without power Friday, two days after an ice storm killed three people and caused widespread property damage, particularly in Montreal. About 400,000 homes in Quebec were in the dark, down from 1.1 million at the height of the outages. “We have restored power to over 50 percent of the customers affected by the outages,” said […]
Quebec ice storm leaves two dead, million without power
MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — An ice storm that battered eastern Canada left two dead and some million people without electricity on Thursday, as fallen trees blocked roads and downed power lines. The storm pummeled Quebec and Ontario, Canada’s two most populous provinces. “Montreal is devastated,” but the situation is “under control,” Quebec Minister of Economy and Energy Pierre Fitzgibbon said at a media briefing after weather warnings were lifted. Even so, authorities called for caution, […]
Bankrupt Sri Lanka hikes power prices again for IMF deal
Colombo, Sri Lanka | AFP | Thursday 2/16/2023 Sri Lanka’s electricity board hiked consumer rates by up to 275 percent, officials said Thursday, the second steep increase in months as the bankrupt island nation works to secure an IMF bailout. An unprecedented financial crisis last year saw Sri Lanka’s 22 million people suffer through months of food and fuel shortages, along with lengthy power cuts. The government defaulted on its $46 billion foreign debt and […]
Fears of extremist campaign after attack on US power substations
Investigators probing vandalism at electricity substations in the western US state of Washington on Tuesday appealed for public help in tracking down those responsible for attacks that have fueled concerns of a right-wing extremist campaign. Local police gave no information on who they suspected was behind the vandalism, which knocked out power on December 25 for some 14,000 in Tacoma, a port city area south of Seattle. Tacoma Public Utilities, which owns two of the […]
More than 500 Ukrainian localities without power: ministry
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) More than 500 Ukrainian localities remained without power Sunday following weeks of Russian airstrikes on the electric grid, an interior ministry official said. “The enemy continues to attack the country’s essential infrastructure. Currently, 507 localities in eight regions of our country are cut off from electricity supplies,” deputy interior minister Yevgueny Yenin told Ukrainian television. “The Kharkiv region is the worst hit with 112 isolated villages,” Yenin added. Another 90 villages were […]
Finland hopes new nuclear reactor eases energy crunch
by Elias HUUHTANEN Agence France-Presse EURAJOKI, Finland (AFP) — After over a decade of delays, the deafening sound of Finland’s new Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor finally running its turbine at full power was welcomed with joy — and relief. The Nordic country is hoping the plant will be able to ease the coming winter’s challenges as Europe battles soaring energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “It has taken a lot of perseverance and years […]
From UK to S. Africa, countries face huge energy bills
PARIS, France (AFP) – Gas and electricity costs are soaring due to a post-pandemic surge in demand and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, creating an energy crisis of a magnitude unseen in half a century. As EU energy ministers hold emergency talks on Friday, here is a look at the challenges and options countries from Britain to Sri Lanka are facing: – Massive bills –With Russia slashing natural gas supplies to European Union countries in apparent […]
