Tanzania to add 6 GW renewable energy

Samia Suluhu Hassan, the new president of Tanzania, is wooing investors to invest in the green and clean energy projects in a bid to energy security for her country and also mitigate the onslaughts of climate change. She has announced that Tanzania will be adding 6GW of renewable energy. Most of the fresh energy will be derived from green sources like solar, wind and hydropower.

According to the World Bank, only 40 per cent of Tanzanian citizens had access to electricity in 2020. In absolute terms, the total supply of electricity in the country was just 1,605 MW. If the 6GW ambitious target of Samia Hassan comes true, Tanzania may become the third most green energy powered country in Africa. Tanzania will be just behind South Africa and Morocco.

Earlier speaking at “A New Day for US-Tanzania Relations,” Hassan said, “Tanzania currently produces electricity from natural gas and also plans to tap energy from wind. There are also studies being undertaken to generate electricity from geothermal sources.”

The ambitions of the Tanzanian leadership are primarily based on hydropower. At present the 2,100MW Julius Nyerere hydropower scheme is under construction. Then there are Ruhudji and Rumakali hydropower projects on course that will generate 358 MW and 222 MW respectively.

The Tanzanian President has said that she will also generate electricity from wind, solar and geothermal sources. However, Hassan didn’t give a timeline of the implementation and completion of the projects.

Tanzania also has reasonable reserves of natural gas of an estimated 57 trillion cubic feet. The disagreements of the government with oil companies over production-sharing had stalled investment in the sector. The new government has begun re-negotiations and looks to create offshore gas projects next year. Just recently, Tanzania announced that it is about to sign a deal with Equinor and Exxon Mobil. This is to develop a major LNG plant involving $30 billion investment by the end of May.