Tanzanian President Hon. Dr. John Magufuli recently laid the cornerstone of the project for the construction of the 132-kilometer power line from the Tabora to the Katavi Region in Western Tanzania.
The project will cost TZS 135.3 billion and will supply 100 megawatts of electricity to the Katavi Region, and is expected to be completed within the next 10 months.
During the ceremony, President Magufuli explained that once Katavi is connected to the national grid the Region will be able to contribute considerably to the national economy by starting up industries with lower operational costs.
The Minister of Energy, Dr. Medard Kalemani, mentioned that the project will help reduce the high cost of electricity production in the Katavi Region which costs TZS 6.8 billion per year by using an oil generation but generates only TZS 1.4 billion in revenues.
He assured the Katavi citizens that all 172 villages and 1,444 suburbs of the Region will be provided with electricity.
Katavi Region
The Katavi region was officially announced on 1st March 12012 by the government’s decision to establish four new regions (Katavi, Njombe, Simiyu, and Geita).
According to the 2012 Census of Population and Housing, the Province has a total population of 564,604,
According to the Tanzania National Five Years Development Plan 2016/17 – 2020/21, Katavi is among the Regions identified for the development of industrial parks.
