OREANDA-NEWS. December 09, 2015. Toshiba Corporation today announced that the company has concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Tanzania Geothermal Development Company Limited (TGDC) for comprehensive collaboration in the geothermal power generation business. This is TGDC’s first MOU with a Japanese company. TGDC and Toshiba will collaborate to promote a geothermal power generation business and human resource development in Tanzania.

TGDC, a subsidiary of Tanzania Electric Supply Company, is the sole organization with geothermal exploitation rights in Tanzania, and its business scope ranges from the development of geothermal resources to the construction of power plants. Drawing on the expertise built up through decades of experience, Toshiba will contribute to geothermal power generation in Tanzania, including the development and provision of major equipment, creation of guidelines for plant operation and management, and personnel training.

Tanzania has the third largest geothermal resources in Africa, following Kenya and Ethiopia-over 5,000 megawatts (MW). At present, however, approximately 60% of Tanzania’s electricity supply relies on hydro and fossils fuels, and geothermal resources are far from fully tapped. Tanzania has a plan to rapidly
 increase its total power generation capacity from the current 1,577 MW to 10,000 MW by 2025, raising expectations for geothermal generation.

Since Toshiba delivered Japan’s first geothermal steam turbine-generator with a power output of 20 MW to the Matsukawa Geothermal Power Station in Iwate Prefecture in 1966, it has provided 52 geothermal turbine-generators around the world, including North America, Southeast Asia and Kenya. Their total power generation capacity is approximately 3,400 MW, commanding the world’s biggest share in geothermal electricity generation at 26%*. In Africa, concerned, Toshiba delivered four geothermal turbines to Kenya in 2014.

Toshiba will continue to promote marketing activities throughout the world to contribute to stable electricity supply from various renewable energy sources, including geothermal, hydraulic and solar photovoltaic generation.
 

 *  Bloomberg New Energy Finance (July 2015)