Country snapshot · East Africa
Tanzania
Solar added each year
Ember estimates of all solar (utility-scale, distributed and off-grid), MW. 2026 is Ember’s full-year estimate.
View as tableHide table
| Year | MW | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 79.5 | Ember estimate |
| 2024 | 124.7 | Ember estimate |
| 2025 | 308.0 | Ember estimate |
| 2026E | 449.2 | Ember estimate, full year |
2.6% of Africa’s estimated 2026 solar additions (449.2 of 17,449.4 MW).1
Who has electricity
Share of people with access to electricity, 2024: rural and urban.
View as tableHide table
| Area | Access | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Rural | 33.7% | 2024 |
| Urban | 85.2% | 2024 |
| National | 52.4% | 2024 |
World Bank WDI, 2024.2
How reliable is the grid for business?
Firms experiencing electrical outages (2023 survey), compared with Sub-Saharan Africa and the world.3,4N6
34.1% (2023 survey) · Sub-Saharan Africa 72.4% · World 47.5% (2025)
The rules for small-scale generationN7
Export rules: Yes
- Regulator
- EWURA
- Main utility
- TANESCO (state-owned)
Export rulesElectricity (Net Metering) Rules, EWURA, 2017; still listed as current in 2024. Uptake not verified.6Medium confidenceShow detail
Electricity (Net Metering) Rules, enacted by EWURA on 27 Oct 2017. Still listed among current regulations in ALN 2024. Implementation and uptake were not verified.
How exports are creditedkWh credit against later consumption via a bi-directional meter.6High confidenceShow detail
kWh credit via a bi-directional meter, with surplus credited against later consumption
Size limits and licensingBelow 1,000 kW; first come, first served up to 5% of prior-year peak load per distribution area.7High confidenceShow detail
Net-metering facility <1,000 kW. First-come first-served until 5% of the previous year's peak load in each DNO area. SPPs are 100 kW–10 MW. 13 entities were registered to generate <1 MW by Jun 2024.
Mini-grid rulesSmall Power Producer Rules 2020 (light-handed); 2025 amendment requires REA endorsement.8,9High confidenceShow detail
SPP Rules 2020 (GN 491, 3 Jul 2020) govern SPPs and mini-grids, with light-handed regulation. The 2025 amendment requires an REA endorsement before applying to EWURA.
Market access beyond the utilityOct 2025 amendment (GN 640) lets eligible customers contract directly with licensed generators.8,9Medium confidenceShow detail
Electricity (Development of SPP) (Amendment) Rules, GN 640 of 31 Oct 2025, let an "eligible customer" contract directly with a licensed generator. Market Re-Organization and Promotion of Competition Regulations exist (title only).
Aggregation / VPP rulesNone foundShow detail
None found
“None found” means we could not locate a rule in public sources reviewed to 10 October 2026, not that one cannot exist.
Recent developments
Dated developments, 2024–2026.
- Oct 2025
SPP Rules amended to allow direct sales to eligible customers.10
The full report
This is a snapshot. The full story is in Africa’s Invisible Grid.
The full analysis, with 17 exhibits on the boom, the data gap, the economics and the four building blocks, is in Africa’s Invisible Grid.
