RURAL ELECTRIFICATION IN TANZANIA

This 1992 report by the Stockholm Environment Institute evaluates the technical, financial, and socio-economic impacts of rural electrification projects implemented by the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO). The study finds that while electrification has provided substantial individual benefits—such as improved lighting and security—it has largely failed to achieve wider macro-economic goals, including the promotion of agro-industry and the reduction of deforestation. The report highlights severe financial losses in isolated diesel-powered areas, low supply reliability, and administrative weaknesses, recommending a restructuring of TANESCO's organization and a revision of tariff policies to improve sustainability.

• The TANESCO rural electrification programme has provided electricity to 37 rural towns (30 of which are district towns) and more than 14 rural villages, but the vast majority of the country remains without service, with less than 1 per cent of the 8,600 villages electrified.
• Rural electrification has had a negligible impact on reducing deforestation and the use of fuelwood for cooking. Most connected households continue to use biomass fuels, and only 43 per cent of electrified households use electricity for cooking.
• The programme has failed to significantly promote agro-based industry or the processing of agricultural products. Most industrial activities in electrified areas were already operational using private diesel generators before the arrival of public electricity.
• Isolated diesel-powered rural areas are substantial loss-makers for TANESCO, with revenues often covering less than 30 per cent of the cost for fuel and lubricants.
• Supply reliability in diesel-supplied areas is characterized as low, with blackouts occurring for 6 to 15 per cent of the total time at the substation level. Load shedding is the dominant cause of these interruptions.
• Technical failures in diesel power plants are exacerbated by a lack of spare parts, tools, and qualified personnel, leading to short generator lifetimes. Some units were retired after only 16,000 to 34,000 operating hours due to the absence of scheduled major overhauls.
• Electricity connections are concentrated among the most affluent households. A minimum dwelling standard (such as an iron sheet roof) and high connection costs (averaging TAS 25,000) exclude most low-income families.
• Voltage fluctuations outside the acceptable range of 5 per cent were reported in all four areas studied in detail, often caused by undersized conductors and loose connections.
• The report recommends creating a separate division within TANESCO for rural electrification with its own budget and foreign exchange allocation to ensure the sector is not given lower priority.

APA

Kjellstrom, B., Katyega, M., Kadete, H., DolfNoppen, & Mvungi, A. (1992). RURAL ELECTRIFICATION IN TANZANIA. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-Book-RuralElectrificationInTanznia-1992.pdf

Chicago

Kjellstrom, BjOrn, Maneno Katyega, Henry Kadete, DolfNoppen, and Abu Mvungi. RURAL ELECTRIFICATION IN TANZANIA. Stockholm Environment Institute, 1992. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-Book-RuralElectrificationInTanznia-1992.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kjellstrom |first1=BjOrn |last2=Katyega |first2=Maneno |last3=Kadete |first3=Henry |last4=DolfNoppen |last5=Mvungi |first5=Abu |title=RURAL ELECTRIFICATION IN TANZANIA |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=1992 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-Book-RuralElectrificationInTanznia-1992.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kjellstrom1992rural, author = {Kjellstrom, BjOrn and Katyega, Maneno and Kadete, Henry and DolfNoppen and Mvungi, Abu}, title = {{RURAL ELECTRIFICATION IN TANZANIA}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {1992}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-Book-RuralElectrificationInTanznia-1992.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }