Tanzania has set a target of developing 200MW of geothermal power by 2025 as it looks to diversify its energy mix.
Energy Permanent Secretary Felchesmi Mramba said Tanzania has identified 52 areas that could potentially produce geothermal power, including Arusha, Dodoma, Tanga and Kilimanjaro.
Tanzania currently relies on natural gas-fired electricity, hydropower and thermal stations.
“Generally, the government intends to inject into the national grid a total of 1100MW produced from the renewable energy such as geothermal, solar and wind, before 2025,” said Mramba.
Tanzania is endowed with a huge geothermal potential which is yet to be tapped.
Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Djibouti share the geothermal belt of the Great Rift Valley.
Only Kenya and Ethiopia have so far developed their geothermal energy resources, with more exploration and development works underway.
Geothermal is seen as an attractive low-cost renewable energy source with low emissions. It can serve as a stable, reliable base-load electricity.
Kenya has especially made significant strides in developing geothermal power, emerging as the eighth largest developer of steam power globally. It has a geothermal centre of excellence targeting specialists from eastern Africa looking to enter the geothermal labour pool, including geologists, geophysicists, geochemists as well as reservoir and drilling engineers.
The targeted nations are those located along the Rift Valley belt – Kenya, Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia.