Earlier this month the Tánaiste (Irish Deputy Prime Minister) and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore T.D., visited a rural electrification scheme in Tanzania which is being project managed by ESB International (ESBI). ESBI is working on behalf of the US-funded Millennium Challenge Account – Tanzania (MCA-T) Energy Project under a four-year contract valued at over $20m.
Under the contract, ESBI is acting as consultant engineer and construction contract supervisor for a number of energy infrastructure projects that will improve the supply of electricity to homes and businesses across Tanzania and Zanzibar.
Projects include the construction of a submarine cable from mainland Tanzania to Zanzibar Island, extensions and upgrades to the electricity transmission and distribution systems, a new hydro power station and a capacity building programme for staff from the two local utilities, Tanesco (Tanzania) and ZECO (Zanzibar).
Tanzania has a very low penetration of electricity, with less than 15% of the population connected to the national grid. Many of the country’s residents and businesses depend on non-grid connected small-scale diesel generators for their electricity needs. A key objective of the MCA-T Energy Project is to bring electricity to remote rural areas of the country.
ESBl has been providing engineering consultancy services to the international power sector for 35 years and to date has completed projects in 115 countries. The company currently employs over 1,000 staff, mostly based in its headquarters in Dublin, and is active in about 20 countries. ESBI has a long association with Tanzania dating back to 1977 when it was appointed by the World Bank and the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs to deliver a training programme to staff in Tanesco, the local utility. Since then, it has been involved in a number of commercial and charitable initiatives in the country.
The Tánaiste’s visit came on the third day of his visit to Tanzania, which will also include a meeting with the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
About MCA-T
The US, acting through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), has granted funding of $698m to the Government of Tanzania to reduce poverty and stimulate economic growth through targeted investment in transport, energy and water infrastructure. Projects relating to each of these three areas are being implemented through the Millennium Challenge Account – Tanzania (MCA-T).