Written by Fumbuka Ng’wanakilala | From Reuters Africa

Tanzania will complete a $455 million power transmission line next year linking its power grid to Kenya and Zambia, part of plans to export electricity powered by its gas and coal reserves to neighbours, the Energy and Minerals Ministry said on Monday.

Tanzania, which has found commercial quantities of gas offshore and sits on big coal deposits, aims to double its generation capacity to 3,000 megawatts (MW) by 2016 to meet rising domestic demand and supply the region.

Power shortages are common across Africa and businesses often complain that poor or erratic supplies deter more investors and push up prices of local products, as many firms have to rely on costly generators when power is cut.

Known as the “backbone interconnector”, Tanzania’s Energy Ministry said the $455 million link would be in place by April, one of several regional projects that include links running between Kenya and Ethiopia and between Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.

“The backbone project will link with Kenya’s northern power grid and Zambia’s southwestern power grid and transform Tanzania into a regional hub for the east and southern Africa power pool,” the ministry said in a statement.

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