21st Aug 2014 African nations are taking bold, brave steps towards utilizing renewable and efficient energy sources, for some hydro energy does the job, for some others it’s natural gas. Whichever way, there is no doubt that greener energy has become the latest buzz in Africa’s power sector. According to this report from Ventures Africa, Tanzania has also decided to join the band wagon. Having discovered that they have the largest part of both the Eastern and Western Arm of the East African Rift Valley system, an excellent source of geothermal energy, the government of Tanzania has established a company; the Tanzania Geothermal Development Company. This company will be a subsidiary of the Tanzania Electric Supply Company – TANESCO- and is expected to start generating up to 4,000 megawatts of electricity from the newly discovered geothermal energy source within two years.
Tanzanian Minister of Energy and Minerals, Professor Sospeter Muhongo revealed that the new company started off in full operations in July 2014 with the exploration phase.
“It started in July by exploring sites where production can start but Lake Ngozi in Mbeya has so far been identified as a suitable location to start generation,” He went on to add “However, generation through geothermal, unlike other sources, is done in phases so we should not expect to have the 4,000 plus megawatts overnight.”
To ensure they explore their latest interest in energy generation to its fullest potential, Tanzanian government is planning on collaborating with the likes of Germany, Japan, Italy and the United States in order to acquire the necessary expertise and knowledge base to properly tap the new energy source.