Energy in Tanzania is fundamental to the nation's projected

economic growth In economics, economic growth is an increase in the quantity and quality of the economic goods and Service (economics), services that a society Production (economics), produces. It can be measured as the increase in the inflation-adjusted Outp ...

, with estimates indicating that the economy could expand sevenfold by 2040, while energy demand is expected to increase by only 150% due to advancements in

fuel efficiency Fuel efficiency (or fuel economy) is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical energy, chemical potential energy contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic energy or Mechanical work, w ...

. The country is actively enhancing its

energy mix The energy mix is a group of different primary energy, primary energy sources from which secondary energy for direct use - such as electricity - is produced. Energy mix refers to all direct uses of energy, such as transportation and housing, and ...

, primarily relying on

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

for more than half of its

electricity generation Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For electric utility, utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its Electricity delivery, delivery (Electric power transm ...

and significant contributions from

hydropower Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, ...

, with

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

primarily used for backup power. Tanzania has a wide range of energy resources in abundance, which are not yet fully exploited. These include;

wood fuel Wood fuel (or fuelwood) is a fuel such as firewood, charcoal, Woodchips, chips, sheets, wood pellets, pellets, and sawdust. The particular form used depends upon factors such as source, quantity, quality and application. In many areas, wood is th ...

, other biomass fuels,

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

wind Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...

, geothermal,

uranium Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...

and

solar Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...

Energy production

As of 2020, Tanzania's electricity generation capacity was 1,601.84 MW, with natural gas accounting for 55.7%, hydropower 35.8%, heavy fuel oil 5.5%, and biomass 0.6%. The country has significant untapped renewable energy potential, particularly in hydropower and solar energy. By 2021, the total energy production in Tanzania increased slightly to 1,076,899 TJ. Biofuels and waste continued to dominate the energy profile, constituting roughly 77.3% of the total production. There was an increase in the production of

, which rose to 5.86%. Oil's share increased to 13.92%, while coal's contribution rose significantly to 1.87%.

Hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

power saw a slight decrease, contributing approximately 1.03%, and the contribution from wind, solar, and other renewables remained constant at around 0.016%.

Renewable energy

Tanzania has a large untapped

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

potential. Of the country's total generation capacity, close to 80% of Tanzania electricity comes from renewable energy, with natural gas contributing 892.72MW and Hydro electric power 573.70MW of the total 1,601.84 megawatts, as of April 2020. According to the government of Tanzania, generation projects in the pipeline include: (a) Ruhudji (358MW), Kakono (87MW), Rumakali (222MW), Malagarasi (45MW), Kikonge (300MW), Kinyerezi I Extension (185MW) and Mtwara (300MW). Solar power is widely used in rural areas, with 65 percent of rural households having access to solar energy sources. The inauguration of the Nyerere Hydropower Plant has increased Tanzania's electricity generation capacity. Prior to this development, the country's capacity stood at approximately 1900 MW. With the new plant, the total capacity has risen to over 2115 MW.

Electricity

As of July 2020, Tanzania had installed grid generation capacity of 1,601.84 megawatts. The table below illustrates the generation mix as of then, in the Tanzanian national grid. *Note 1: Totals are slightly off due to rounding. *Note 2: The hydroelectric figures exclude 2,115 MW from Julius Nyerere Hydropower Station and 50 MW from Malagarasi Hydroelectric Power Station, both still under development. Biomass constitutes over 90 percent of the country's primary energy consumption. This accounts for deforestation of annually. Reforestation restores only about 25 percent of that annually. As of April 2020, 73.2 percent of Tanzania's urban areas and 24.5 percent of her rural areas have access to electricity. The electrical supply varies, particularly when droughts disrupt hydropower electric generation; rolling blackouts are implemented as necessary. Nearly a quarter of electricity generated is lost because of poor transmission infrastructure. The unreliability of the electrical supply has hindered the development of Tanzanian industry.Lake, Joseph. "Economy". In

Dar es Salaam

Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam (, ; from ) is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of the Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over 7 million people, Dar es Salaam is the largest city in East Africa by population and the ...

is a key area in the supply chain of petroleum products across Tanzania and as an emerging industrial zone, the port attracts major international companies. A major supplier of petroleum products in the region is Dalbit Petroleum who rely on the port as part of their operations and have developed a well-organized supply chain through the port since the company’s regional inception in 2007.

Way forward

In 2016, the ''Energy Access Situation Survey'' indicated that "32.8 percent of the households in the Tanzania Mainland were connected to electricity", as of that year. Demand for connection was growing at 10 to 15 percent annually. A major objective was achieved in 2015, when the country phased out emergency generation centers using "high-cost" liquid fossil fuels. The completion of the Mtwara–Dar es Salaam Natural Gas Pipeline, with commissioning in October that year ensures a constant supply of

to meet generation requirements of the large gas power stations in the country's largest city. The Tanzanian government aims to reach generation capacity of at least 5,000 megawatts in the medium term and 10,000 megawatts in the long term. While the country's offshore gas reserves discovered by

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

and

Equinor Equinor ASA (formerly Statoil and StatoilHydro) is a Norwegian multinational energy company headquartered in Stavanger, Norway. It is primarily a petroleum company, petroleum company operating in 36 countries with additional investments in renew ...

have remained undeveloped for many years, new political leadership since 2021 has given hope that Tanzania may become an exporter of LNG by 2030. As of 2022, negotiations were back on the table to develop the 10 million tonnes per annum Tanzania Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal, with final investment decision (FID), expected in 2025. The projected cost is US$30 billion.

References

External links

Increasing Electricity Access in Tanzania to Reduce Poverty
As of 16 December 2016. {{Africa topic, Energy in Environment of Tanzania Politics of Tanzania