We now turn to one of Tanzania’s largest power transmission projects, which, as you will see, has transformed the lives of the people of Tanzania, particularly in the capital Dodoma. It was financed by the Tanzanian government with partners such as the African Development Bank and the World Bank.
The Backbone Transmission Investment Project (BTIP) between Iringa in southwestern Tanzania and Shinyanga in northern Tanzania is a 400 kV substation, part of the strategy to strengthen the national grid. It is one of the priority projects of the 2009 Power System Master Plan and its 2020 update.
Before we started this project in 2013, electricity demand in the region was around 10 megawatts. But afterwards, the capital of our country, which had been moved from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma, began to migrate, and this increased the number of customers and the demand for electricity. Fortunately, the African Development Bank began financing this project, and its construction really helped us. Today, demand is 68 megawatts, and this would not have been possible without this infrastructure.
David Donald MREMA, Project Manager- Transmission Line at TANESCO – United Republic of Tanzania
Although it is also a regional project, the BTIP has changed life in the capital Dodoma. From small businesses and industries to hospitals, everyone talks good about the electricity service, for example here at Dodoma Regional Referral Hospital.
When I was a junior doctor in this hospital, I remember several cases of power cuts, and how very frustrating and embarrassing it used to be when it happened while a doctor was operating, for example. Imagine, when you’re doing a C-section and the power goes out, you start using phone torchlights, with the baby and mother standing there in danger. Or in the intensive care unit, you’re forced to perform mechanical ventilation when the power goes out, with the risk of death for our patients.Fortunately, this is no longer the case.
Baraka MPONDA, Director of Dodoma Regional Referral Hospital – United Republic of Tanzania
The backbone transmission investment project (BTIP) between Iringa and Shinyanga has been financed to the amount of over USD 470 million by several development partner institutions, including the African Development Bank, which has contributed USD 68.5 million, and the World Bank, which has injected USD 150 million. The Tanzanian government contributed USD 18.8 million to the project.
