- The government of Tanzania has vowed to generate an additional 200MW from geothermal by 2025 in a bid to diversify its electricity mix.
Tanzania is in dire need to diversify its electricity mix similar to other countries in East Africa. Energy Permanent Secretary Eng Felchesmi Mramba said Tanzania has identified 52 areas that could produce geothermal power.
These sites are spread across the regions of Mbeya, Arusha, Dodoma, Iringa, Coast, Kilimanjaro, Kagera, Katavi, Shinyanga, Morogoro, Mwara, Manyara, Rukwa, Singida, Songwe and Tanga.
He made this statement during his tour to inspect sources of geothermal energy at Kiejo-Mbaka and Ngozi in Mbeya region.
“Generally, the government intends to inject into the national grid a total of 1,100MW produced from the renewable energy such as geothermal, solar and wind, before 2025,” Eng Mramba stated.
He added that the ministry makes huge efforts in developing sources of geothermal energy because such sources of energy are sustainable.
“The inspection we have done would help the government to take proper steps in developing such sources of power,” he stated.
He argued that during drought water levels in dams would go down, thus affecting hydropower production, but that geothermal can sustain during droughts or rains.
TGDC is covering several geothermal sites for potential development in Tanzania, including Ngozi in Mbeya and Songwe regions, Kiejo-Mbaka in Mbeya region, Natron in Arusha region and Luhoi in the coastal region.
On his part, Acting General Manager of the Tanzania Geothermal Development Company (TGDC), a subsidiary of state-owned Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco), Eng Mathew Mwangomba, said the Kiejo-Mbaka site can produce 60MW of power from the geothermal.
He explained that the government had disbursed about 20bn/- for the development of the Kiejo-Mbaka site, and the company has already purchased a drilling machine for that purpose.
Experts from the TGDC in collaboration with development partners have done all required research.
He added that the Ngozi site is expected to produce 70MW from the geothermal and that the TGDC is well organised to ensure that Tanzania benefits from power generated from geothermal.
Tanzania is endowed with a huge geothermal potential that has not yet been used and has only been explored to a limited extent.
Geothermal power is a reliable, low-cost, environmentally friendly, alternative energy supply and an indigenous, renewable energy source, suitable for electricity generation.
Author: Nomvuyo Tena
Nomvuyo Tena is a Content Producer at Vuka Group and is as passionate about the energy transition in Africa as she is about music and Beyonce.
