Tanzania's largest hydropower plant opens, doubling national grid capacity

Tanzania has officially brought online its largest power generation facility, the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP), a 2,115-megawatt dam on the Rufiji River. The plant, inaugurated by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, was built at a cost of approximately 7.45 trillion Tanzanian shillings ($2.84 billion).

The new facility more than doubles the country's total electricity generation capacity, which now stands at 4,646 MW against a peak demand of 2,271 MW. Energy Minister Deogratius Ndejembi noted that this leaves a surplus of 2,375 MW, which could be directed toward exports. He added that Tanzania is already in talks with several nations, including Kenya and Zambia, about selling power.

President Hassan said the project resolves a long-standing generation deficit that had caused frequent and economically damaging blackouts. "We are confident that this project will increase opportunities for business, investment, and production, create jobs, and boost individual income and the national GDP as a whole," she said.

Construction began in 2019 but drew criticism from conservation groups concerned about the dam's impact on the Selous Game Reserve, a UNESCO-listed area that hosts significant populations of elephants, black rhinos, and cheetahs. Hassan acknowledged the controversy but defended the decision to proceed. "We had no way to abandon this project, given its importance to our nation," she stated.

With the plant now operational, hydropower accounts for roughly 60% of Tanzania's electricity generation, with natural gas contributing a substantial share of the remainder.