Fifth JNHPP turbine to go live soon as station's completion nears

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s electricity generation is expected to receive a boost soon as the government prepares to activate the fifth turbine at the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP), which is nearing completion.

The move will mark a significant step towards the project’s full capacity of 2,115 megawatts (MW), positioning Tanzania as a regional hub in energy production and reliability.

JNHPP has already commissioned four plants, and according to the assistant commissioner for energy development at the ministry of Energy, Mr Styden Rwebangila, the fifth turbine is undergoing final testing and will be operational imminently.

“To date, the four operational turbines are generating a combined 940 megawatts (MW),” he said.

“The fifth turbine is set to be switched on soon, bringing us closer to the target of activating all nine turbines by June next year,” he added.

Once fully operational, the JNHPP’s nine turbines, each with a capacity of 235 MW, will provide surplus electricity, firmly ending the era of power rationing in Tanzania.

The project’s impact is already visible. “As of November 22, 2024, the country’s maximum electricity demand reached 1,842 MW, slightly up from 1,839 MW the previous day,” Mr Rwebangila explained, noting that peak demand typically occurs in the evenings.

Permanent Secretary in the ministry of Energy, Mr Felchesmi Mramba, reinforced the optimism surrounding the project, saying the JNHPP has fundamentally changed Tanzania’s energy trajectory.

“With four turbines already operational and the fifth imminent, the project underscores our commitment to providing reliable and sustainable energy to all Tanzanians,” he said.

When fully operational by mid-2025, the JNHPP will not only meet Tanzania’s domestic electricity demand but also generate surplus energy for export. The surplus capacity is a key pillar in the government’s ambitious plan to increase national power generation to 5,000 MW by 2025, which includes leveraging hydropower and natural gas.

The surplus energy will enable Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco), which oversees 98 percent of electricity production in the country, to eliminate outages, support industrial growth, and facilitate regional energy trade.

The JNHPP worth Sh6.55 trillion was financed by the government 100 percent to improve Tanzania’s electricity generation infrastructure for energy independence.

On average, growth in population density in Tanzania is expected to cause total net electricity consumption to increase by 11.2 percent per annum during the period 2020–2030, according to a report by the African Development Bank titled “An outlook of Tanzania’s energy demand, supply and cost by 2030.”