The World Bank’s Climate Investment Funds has dedicated $50 million USD to a plan that aims to scale up Tanzania’s renewal energy sector.
Additional funding will be provided by the African Development Bank, Tanzanian government, private sector, and other development partners.
The program will focus on shifting Tanzania’s dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels and hydro resources, to more diverse and environmentally sustainable methods such as geothermal and solar energy.
Another aspect of the program is rural electrification via a number of activities including; investments in renewable energy technology, stakeholder sensitization and education, and public-private partnership building.
The African Development Bank reported that by 2020 they expect per-capita electric consumption to increase from 70 kilowatt per hour (kWh) to 350 kWh, and a five-times increase in the annual output of renewable energy once the geothermal plant is operating.