- Last month, unit four of the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project was commissioned and synchronised to the grid in Tanzania bringing a total of 940MW online.
- Once fully commissioned, Tanzania will have excess power to export.
- Also known as the Stiegler Gorge Dam and the Rufiji Hydroelectric Power Project, the project is planned to eventually have an installed capacity 2,115MW and produce 5,9GWh of power a year. Read more
About the project
In 2018, Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (TANESCO) and the Joint Venture of the Arab Contractors and ELSEWEDY ELECTRIC entered into an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction contract for the execution of Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project.
The dam, that is the fourth largest in Africa, and ninth largest in the world, is located across the Rufiji River, at Stiegler’s Gorge, in the Selous Game Reserve, Morogoro Region, southwest of Dar Es Salaam, the commercial capital and the largest city of Tanzania. The power generated will be evacuated via a 400kV high voltage power line to a substation onsite where the power is integrated into the national electricity grid.
Located across the Rufiji River in Stigler’s George, in the Selous Game Reserve, it is, aside from generating electric power for its prime purpose, a control gate for deadly floods that occasionally result in major losses in lives and goods with a severe impact on the national economy.
The project meets most of the UN 17 sustainability goals as it manages a wisely precious resource, creates thousands of jobs, bridges an energy gap, stimulates the economy, and opens wide gates for investors to penetrate Tanzania.
The reservoir will offer controlled fishing with the introduction of marine inhabitants such as hippos and crocodiles, as well as exciting tourist attractions in water sports, fishing, and sailing. And saves up to 400 hectares of trees annually
This monumental project plays a dual role in energy generation and irrigation, symbolizing Tanzania’s commitment to a greener and more prosperous future.
Broader East African Power Pool Impact
Earlier this month, the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO) reported that synchronisation of the 400kV Kenya-Tanzania inter-connector has been successful. The synchronisation of the two electricity grids marks a significant step towards East African regional power integration.
The 400 kv, USD 309.26 million transmission line links Kenya and Tanzania paving the way for the import and export and export of electricity between the two countries and beyond.
The project involved the construction of a high voltage alternating current (HVAC) 400 kV transmission line (T-line) with a total length of 507.5 km, of which about 414.4 km are in Tanzania and 93.1 km in Kenya.
East African Power Pool energy trading market opens up
The Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) is finalising cross border interconnection to facilitate trading of electricity between 11 countries in central and east Africa with the potential to provide energy access to 600 million people. EAPP member countries are Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
South Sudan and Somalia remain unconnected but a feasibility study is underway to connect Ethiopia with Somalia. Read more
The new energy trading market will take the Eastern Africa region from bilateral trade to trade amongst all countries in the region, ensuring not only regular supply but efficient use of energy.
Currently, Ethiopia is among the biggest producer and seller of electricity in the region. Their massive 6450MW Grand Renaissance Dam project started to produce power in February 2022. Read more
Tanzania/Mozambique inter-connector
Tanzania and Mozambique have been in talks since 2022 to construct a 400kV inter-connector between the two countries rom Toa Re, in Tanzania, to Palma, in Mozambique.
Related news: a 400kVA transmission line is already under construction connecting Mozambique with Malawi
There is already a memorandum of understanding between the two Governments but the formulating of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries’ state owned energy utilities EDM and TANESCO is lacking.
The inter-connector will facilitate energy trading between EAPP and the twelve countries who are members of the Southern Africa Power Pool. This could potentially see energy wheeled from Ethiopia to customers in South Africa.
Tanzania inter-connector. Image credit: World Bank
Tanzania Zambia inter-connector
The project involves the construction of a 620 km, 400 kV double circuit transmission line, from Iringa in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania to the Zambian border and continue on from the Zambian border to Sumbawanga. This will link the Tanzanian grid to Zambia’s grid and it includes the construction of a sub-station at Tunduma, close to the Zambian border.
The work on the Tanzanian side of the Zambia-Tanzania line is expected to be completed by mid-2026, the stalled Zambian component of the ZTK interconnector remains far behind schedule and only likely to be commissioned closer to 2030.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
