AS Tanzania comes close to reaching 2,115 megawatts output from the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP), the government is set to import 100 megawatts of electricity from Ethiopia via Kenya to strengthen the national grid and address long-standing power challenges in the northern regions.

Felchesmi Mramba, the Energy permanent secretary, disclosed the plan at a press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday, noting that importing electricity is not driven by a supply deficit but by the need to stabilize the grid and improve supply to northern regions.

The move is part of a broader strategy to enhance energy reliability and diversify sources to ensure stable supply, particularly in the northern zone, facing persistent outages and business losses exceeding 32bn/- over the past few years, he stated.

Tanzania’s total electricity generation stands at 3,796MW, with demand pegged at 2,200MW, in which case the 100MW inflow from Ethiopia is intended to stabilize the grid in the northern zone, he elaborated.

Despite having a substantial electricity surplus, the northern regions struggles with power unreliability, with the challenges including frequent voltage drops and outages caused by the long distances between the main generation sites in Dar es Salaam for gas driven turbines, aside from Morogoro and Iringa for key hydropower plants, apart from the JNHPP, he pointed out.

“The distance between the power plants and the northern region creates inefficiencies in transmission, causing power supply disruptions,” he specified.

Between developing new power generation sites closer to the northern regions and sourcing electricity from neighbouring countries like Ethiopia was discussed, with the Ethiopia sourcing noted as a cost-effective and more immediate solution to stabilize the grid.

Importing 100MW from Ethiopia enabled the power company to save 17MW that it estimated to cover the power demand for Songwe Region, he said, highlighting that a two-way energy exchange is involved, with Tanzania not only benefiting from the imported electricity but also positioning itself to export power to Ethiopia in the future, contributing to regional energy security.

“This is part of a broader strategy to strengthen energy grids and resilience across Africa, similar to power trading practices in Europe,” he stated, noting that electricity from Ethiopia is being bought at 7.7 US cents per kilowatt-hour, significantly lower than comparable sources.

There are no operational costs associated with the imported electricity, he said, sharing an update that at the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP), four of its eight turbines are currently operational. 

Still, enough electricity is being produced to meet domestic demand at the moment, but the government is focused on diversifying energy sources to meet growing demand.

Local energy demand has increased by 500MW in the past few months, prompting investment in new power generation projects to meet future needs, while the power purchasing agreement marks a key step in enhancing Tanzania’s energy security and ensuring a stable power supply across the country, he added.