Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Tanzania extended power cuts to 10 hours a day from five due to mechanical problems at the Songas power plant, the state-run Tanzania Electric Supply Co. said.

General Electric Co. technicians from the U.S. are due in Tanzania today to inspect irregularities with three gas-fired turbines, Tanesco Managing Director Idris Rashidi said in a telephone interview from Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital.

The equipment was shut down on Sept. 24, cutting power generation to 72 megawatts from 178 megawatts, after a routine inspection found ``anomalies,'' Songas said.

Electricity cutbacks will not affect the main Muhimbili National Hospital, the Bank of Tanzania's headquarters or any major industrial areas, Tanesco said yesterday in a statement.

Tanzania is not at risk of an energy crisis similar to 2006, when a drought curbed hydropower generation, resulting in widespread blackouts, Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda said today.

``A technical issue is very different from a drought,'' Pinda told reporters in Dar es Salaam. ``It's not a big issue at the moment.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Sarah McGregor in Dar es Salaam via Johannesburg at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 26, 2008 07:08 EDT