- AFD will provide €137 million in total for the project.
- The project is expected to diversify Tanzania’s hydro-dependent energy mix.
- When completed, the project will reduce CO2 emissions by 43,460 tonnes every year.
The government of Tanzania has signed a loan agreement with the French Development Agency (AFD) to develop a 150MWp solar PV plant. AFD is validating a €130 million loan for the construction of a 150 MWp solar power plant. The agency will also provide €7 million in additional financing for the feasibility study of the project. The plant is set to be situated in Kishapu, a district in the country’s northern region.
The plant is expected to be completed in a year, with the energy being produced solid to the state-owned Tanzania Electric Supply Company’s (Tanesco) grid. It is expected that the plant will diversify the country’s energy mix.
Tanzania generates over half of its energy from hydropower. The country is currently constructing the Stiegler’s Gorge dam and hydropower plant, which is set to increase its generation capacity by 2.1GW. Increasing dry seasons in East Africa are impacting power generation from water resources. The solar power plant will complement the energy being generated by hydropower plants. It is expected that the new solar power plant will reduce CO2 emissions by 43,460 tonnes every year.