GRID ELECTRICITY IN KIGOMA SAVES TZS 58 BILLION IN FUEL AND MAINTENANCE – DEPUTY MINISTER SALOME





Deputy Minister for Energy, Hon. Salome Makamba has commended the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) for successfully overseeing and completing the project to extend national grid electricity to Kigoma Region, a move that has saved approximately TZS 58 billion annually which was previously spent on fuel purchases and maintenance of generator spare parts used for electricity production.

Hon. Salome gave the commendation on March 6, 2026, after visiting the construction site of the large Kidahwe power substation in Kigoma Region, along with the Kigoma Town substation and the temporary Kidahwe substation.

“I would like to congratulate TANESCO for bringing grid electricity to Kigoma, especially after completing the project from Nyakanazi to Kigoma and for deciding to use your own internal funds amounting to TZS 5 billion to complete the temporary Kidahwe substation which is currently supplying electricity to Kigoma while construction of the main Kidahwe substation continues,” said Hon. Salome.

She said the new Kidahwe power substation will have a capacity of 192 megawatts, which will further strengthen electricity availability in Kigoma Region, which currently receives approximately 30 megawatts.

She added that the substation is expected to be completed in November this year and will also help improve electricity supply in the western regions of Tanzania, support the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), and promote cross-border electricity trade with neighboring countries in western Tanzania.

Due to the availability of reliable electricity in Kigoma, Hon. Salome invited both local and foreign investors to invest in the region.

She also urged citizens to protect electricity infrastructure, noting that President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan continues to allocate significant funds for energy projects across the country, and therefore citizens have a responsibility to safeguard and value the infrastructure.

Earlier, the Project Coordinator for the 400kV Nyakanazi–Kigoma power transmission project, Engineer Ramadhan Uwessu, said that construction of the new Kidahwe substation is progressing alongside the expansion of the Nyakanazi substation to enable it to transmit 400kV electricity from Nyakanazi to Kidahwe.

He added that the substation will also receive electricity from the Tabora line at 132kV, from Sumbawanga at 400kV, as well as electricity expected to be generated from the Malagarasi hydropower project.

He noted that the project has reached 47 percent completion and is estimated to cost about TZS 434 billion, funded by the Government of Tanzania, the African Development Bank (AfDB), and the Export-Import Bank of Korea through the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF).

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