MORE geothermal investment activity is expected, enabling 30 megawatts to be added from this source to the national grid towards the end of the 2026/2027 financial year.

Dr Hatibu Kazungu, the Energy deputy permanent secretary, made this affirmation at the Global Geothermal Alliance meeting yesterday, within the 15th assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Tanzania’s geothermal potential is enhanced by two branches of the East African Rift Valley, he said, noting that surveys had identified 50 resource-rich sites across 16 regions now at various stages of development.

He urged private investors and the development partners to contribute to the production of clean, sustainable energy, as the Tanzania Geothermal Development Co. (TGDC), a subsidiary of the power utility TANESCO, is working on five strategic projects.

He listed them as Ngozi (70 MW), Kiejo-Mbaka (60 MW), Songwe (38 MW), Luhoi (5 MW) and Natron (60 MW).

Resource verification and detailed studies are being undertaken for the projects, he said, noting that generating geothermal energy would bolster the economy, protect the environment and create jobs.

Experts say that geothermal energy is a renewable energy derived from the earth’s core, arising from tectonic mechanisms and the decay of radioactive materials.

This thermal energy is stored in rocks and fluids, where an interested company from across the border, KenGen began drilling its first well in Djibouti in November 2021 after securing a contract worth $4.9m earlier in February.

In the same year, the Kenyan firm also secured contracts for drilling wells and providing consultancy services in Ethiopia, while Tanzania’s geothermal potential shows that it can supply up to 5,000 megawatts.