DODOMA (Tanzania), Feb 17 (NNN-DAILYNEWS) — THE International Solar Alliance (ISA) based in India has expressed its intention to invest in solar energy projects in Tanzania. As a first step the institution will conduct preliminary feasibility study on three sites identified for execution of the projects.
Here, the sites identified by the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) for execution of solar power projects include Zuzu in Dodoma (60 MW), Mkwese in Manyoni – Singida (199 MW) and Same in Kilimanjaro (50 MW).
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Dr Doto Biteko, made this revelation during a meeting with the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Executive Director Dr Ajay Mathur in New Delhi, India, where Dr Biteko attended India Energy Week, which included various energyrelated meetings.
“We invite you to invest in Tanzania because we need multiple power projects from different sources to meet the energy demands of our people. What drives us even more at this moment is the mission 300 plan, which we signed in January 2025. Under this plan, Tanzania is required to provide electricity to 8.3 million people by 2030,” said Biteko.
Dr Biteko expressed gratitude to the ISA for recognising Tanzania as a suitable investment destination and emphasised that his role is to ensure the country has numerous energy projects to achieve electricity sufficiency and drive development. He stressed that having adequate electricity is not something to wait for—projects must be implemented now.
On solar energy projects, Dr Biteko said Tanzania has begun implementing a 150 MW solar- energy project in Kishapu District, Shinyanga starting with production of 50MW, the remaining 100MW will be developed upon completion of the first phase.
The deputy Premier said that in order to facilitate the investment of ISA in the country, he urged the company to identify the areas where it needs to invest so that experts can begin working on them.
Earlier, Dr Mathur informed Dr Biteko that his institution intends to invest in large- scale solar energy projects in Tanzania noting that their intention has been derived from Mission 300 African Energy Summit which outlined Africa’s goal to provide electricity to 300 million people, including those in Tanzania.
He said that ISA is working in 122 countries worldwide and collaborates with various governments in implementing solar energy projects through various means, including providing training to locals on the production of solar energy equipment, assisting governments in developing policies that enable investment in solar energy and building the capacity of solar energy engineers and energy policy makers in different areas related to the development of solar energy.
In another development, Dr Mathur said that ISA has already begun operations in Tanzania by establishing the Solar Technology Applications Resource Centre (STAR-C), which will have various responsibilities, including the development of local experts, conducting research that will support the implementation of solar energy projects in line with the country’s environment, preparing curricula, renovating and constructing laboratory buildings for research and training, purchasing equipment for teaching and testing the quality standards of solar energy equipment.
Additionally, the centre will support the innovation of products and services that promote the use of solar energy, as well as assist businesses in the value chain of the sector.
He added that the centre, which has been established at the Arusha Technical College (ATC), will be launched in June this year.
In Africa, ISA has established STAR-C centres in Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Ivory Coast and Ghana. Since their inception, these centres have trained thousands of professionals in the solar energy sector. — NNN-DAILYNEWS
