TAZA 2tri/- 400kV power interconnector nears completion
DODOMA: The strategic Tanzania-Zambia (TAZA) 400-kilovolt (kV) high-voltage power transmission project, worth approximately 2tri/-, has reached 95 percent completion, with the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) planning to energize the 620-kilometre power line from Dodoma to Iringa, and then to Kisada, starting in November of this year.
TANESCO’s Deputy Managing Director responsible for distribution, Engineer Timothy Mgaya, revealed this in Dodoma yesterday when he toured the Zuzu substation and updated journalists on the development.
Since the Zuzu substation will be upgraded to 400 kilovolts as part of the preparations, he explained, several regions in the Western, Northern, and Lake zones will experience power interruptions this Saturday and Sunday.
Eng Mgaya said that on November 14 and 15 (Saturday and Sunday), Singida, Manyara, Arusha, Kigoma, Kagera, Tabora, Shinyanga, Simiyu, Geita, Mwanza, and Mara will experience power shutoffs from 6:30 AM to 5:30 PM.
He noted that the initiative is being undertaken because some infrastructure was still operating at 220 kilovolts while awaiting upgrades at the Iringa substation.
“Now that the Iringa upgrades are nearing completion, the Zuzu substation is being upgraded to 400 kilovolts,” he said.
The Deputy Managing Director stated that the project involves the construction of a 400-kilovolt power transmission line, approximately 620 kilometers long, running from Iringa, Mbeya, and Tunduma to Sumbawanga (Rukwa), with an interconnector from Tunduma to Zambia.
He added that the project includes substations in Iringa, Kisada, Tunduma (Mkangamo), Mbeya (Iganjo), and Rukwa, with the overall project having reached approximately 95 percent completion.
Elaborating further, Deogratius Nyamtumbaga, a Project Engineer for Substations on the TAZA project, explained that following the weekend’s work, TANESCO will begin switching on the TAZA infrastructure starting November 25 of this year.
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“The rollout will begin with the 400kV Dodoma–Iringa line, eventually extending to Sumbawanga and establishing the interconnector link to Zambia,” he said.
He added that the Dodoma substation serves as the primary hub distributing 400kV power originating from the Julius Nyerere Hydroelectric Power Plant (JNHPP) via Chalinze to the southern highlands, northern, and western parts of the country.
“Beyond the TAZA developments, this weekend’s work will enable the activation of a second 400kV transmission line from Dodoma to Singida, eliminating reliance on a single line,” he told reporters in the capital.
He further noted that a second 250 MVA transformer will be installed at the Singida substation, doubling transmission capacity from the current 200 megawatts to 400 megawatts for the Lake, Northern, and Western regions.
According to Eng Nyamtumbaga, the construction of transmission line towers officially began in November 2023 and has reached 97 percent completion.
The project leader added that the construction of substations started in April 2024 and has reached 94 percent completion, with the total project cost standing at approximately 2tri/-.
“The remaining small percentage for project completion involves testing, system verification, and final preparations to ensure everything operates efficiently before official commissioning,” he said.
Starting on November 26, TANESCO will begin energizing the 400-kilovolt power line from Dodoma to Iringa, and from Iringa to Kisada.
On November 29, energization will begin from Mbeya to Sumbawanga.
By December 5, the project engineer said, residents of Sumbawanga are expected to start receiving power directly from Tanzania’s national grid instead of relying on electricity imported from Zambia.
