Tanzania defends decision to import electricity from Ethiopia
What you need to know:
- The statement revealed that the cost of electricity imported from Ethiopia is expected to be more affordable than that of some domestic power generation sources.
Dar es Salaam. The Tanzanian government has justified its decision to import electricity from Ethiopia via Kenya to address persistent power supply challenges in the Northern Zone, where frequent outages have caused economic losses amounting to over Sh32 billion annually.
Speaking during the inauguration of a water project in Kilimanjaro yesterday, President Samia Suluhu Hassan acknowledged concerns over the move and assured the public that the decision was based on technical and economic considerations.
She explained that transmitting electricity over long distances from the South-Eastern region to the Northern Zone has resulted in significant energy losses, making local supply unreliable.
Hours later, Government Spokesperson Gerson Msigwa released a statement confirming the government’s plan to import electricity, reiterating that the power currently supplied to the Northern Zone originates from the South-Eastern region and requires long-distance transmission.
This has resulted in significant energy losses, negatively impacting the region’s power stability.
"The importation of electricity from Ethiopia through Kenya will help eliminate frequent outages and minimize the substantial energy losses incurred during long-distance transmission," Msigwa said in a statement.
He further explained that Tanzania is a member of the North Africa Power Pool, which allows member states to trade electricity at competitive rates.
The statement revealed that the cost of electricity imported from Ethiopia is expected to be more affordable than that of some domestic power generation sources.
The government also said that importing electricity from neighboring countries is not a new strategy.
Tanzania has historically sourced power for border regions, including Rukwa (from Zambia), Kagera (from Uganda), and Tanga (from Kenya), to strengthen the national grid and provide backup power solutions.
Additionally, the statement stressed that Tanzania has plans to sell electricity to neighboring countries through regional power market arrangements, aligning with commitments made during the recent Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam, where East African leaders agreed to enhance cross-border electricity trade.
“The move to import electricity aligns with Tanzania’s broader strategy to ensure a stable and cost-effective power supply while reducing grid inefficiencies,” reads another part of the statement.
