Power on Wheels: How Innovative Technology Helped Stabilize Electricity Supply in Southern Tanzania

Tucked away on Tanzania's southeastern coast, not far from the border with Mozambique, Mtwara is a region with vast potential. Rich in both onshore and offshore natural gas, it has become central to government plans for long-term economic growth. Yet, until recently, power demand was outpacing the available power supply in the region.

Mtwara isn't connected to Tanzania's national power grid. Instead it has relied on a small, isolated network powered by aging reciprocating engines. Eager to build a more resilient system, TANESCO, the country's state-owned electricity provider, came up with an innovative solution: redeploying a pair of GE Vernova TM2500 aeroderivative gas turbines - compact, aircraft-engine-based power generators - operating elsewhere in the country.

"The flexibility of these turbines was vital to the scheme's success," says Gilman Kasiga, GE Vernova's country manager in Tanzania. "TANESCO was able to move capacity where it was needed most and stabilize power supply for communities and businesses that had lived with outages for years."

One of the two mobile TM2500 aeroderivative gas turbines that were relocated to Mtwara to help provide reliable power to this region of southeastern Tanzania. All images: GE Vernova

Speed and Adaptability

Pressure on Mtwara's power network has intensified significantly in recent years. The region is home to a fast-growing population and some of Tanzania's most energy-intensive activity, including the country's largest cement plant. Its deepwater port has also become a key export hub, supporting trade between Tanzania's southern regions and international markets. Plans for a $42 billion liquefied natural gas project are expected to transform the local economy further, bringing construction, services, and new demand for electricity.

By 2022, addressing Mtwara's substandard power supply had become one of TANESCO's top priorities. The company faced two choices: wait years for new generation capacity, or find a way to act immediately. Working with GE Vernova, it identified an existing mobile gas turbine in the city of Dar es Salaam that could be redeployed quickly.

The move did not leave Dar es Salaam exposed. Unlike Mtwara, Tanzania's commercial capital is connected to the national grid, which has an installed capacity of more than 4,000 megawatts. The temporary reduction associated with the relocation represented only a small fraction of that system and was absorbed without significant disruption. Engineered as a modular, trailer-mounted system, the TM2500 unit was built for mobility. Once dismantled, it was transported south by road and sea, then reassembled in Mtwara in a matter of months.

At the Mtwara II plant, TANESCO's Inyanya Ndeya (left) speaks with Erastus Ndungu, senior sales manager SADC/EA at GE Vernova Gas Power.

"The bulk of the time was actually waiting for the ship," explains Kasiga. "Without that, the work itself could've taken roughly four or five weeks. The turbines are modular - you essentially unplug them, move them, and plug them back in."

The first relocation, completed three years ago, proved so effective that a second unit was moved to Mtwara last year. For the first time, Mtwara had reliable, redundant generation capacity. Together, the pair now provide around 40 megawatts of capacity, with built-in redundancy - if one unit is offline for maintenance, the other can continue supplying power.

Skills Gained, Emissions Lowered

The project's impact extends beyond stable electricity. For local contractors, it marked a significant step change in capability. GE Vernova engineers worked with Power Associates Limited, a Tanzanian firm that led the relocation and installation work. The experience, Kasiga says, has left a lasting legacy. By executing a complex, fast-track power project to international standards, the team gained skills, confidence, and a track record that positions it to take on larger, more technically demanding assignments in the future.

The introduction of a newer system has also had implications for broader energy transition goals. Compared with the older reciprocating engines, this engine is more fuel-efficient and produces fewer emissions per unit of electricity generated. Moreover, its dual-fuel capability - allowing it to operate on gas or liquid fuels - adds flexibility in a system where supply constraints can quickly translate into power cuts.

Resilience Amid Rising Demand

Providing this kind of resilience is central to GE Vernova's deepening collaboration with TANESCO. In Mtwara, the focus has now shifted from rapid deployment to long-term operation, with Kasiga and his team concentrating on scheduled maintenance and targeted upgrades to ensure that generation continues to keep pace with rising demand.

"Reliable power gives people confidence - to invest, to expand businesses, to improve services," he says. "When electricity is stable, it creates the conditions for economic and social development, and that's what this project was ultimately meant to support."