THE Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (TANESCO) plans a record connectivity this year with 150,000 new customers expected up from the previous targets which never exceeded 100,000 per annum.

The TANESCO Communications Manager, Ms Badra Masoud said in Dar es Salaam that over 80,000 customers have been connected in the past six months.

"We are determined to improve the availability and reliability of electricity in the country but at the same time increasing the connectivity to ensure as many people as possible are connected," she said.

She noted that the company has received 112,000 applications so far, adding that the 150,000 target would be mate against all odds. "In reaching this target, meagre budget will not be a constrain as we plan to liaise with REA (Rural Energy Agency) especially in rural areas," she said.

Ms Masoud noted that in this month of August alone, the power utility will connect 150 new customers. "We will also have a special focus on the areas in the outskirt of cities and rural areas because power is development and is one of the determinants of economic growth," she said.

Ms Masoud noted that TANESCO will also invest highly on new sources of energy and increase productivity. Key projects under construction includes Kinyerezi One (150MW), Kinyerezi Two (240MW), Kinyerezi Three (300MW), Kinyerezi Four (300MW), Singida Wind Power (50MW), Kilwa Energy (210MW) and Kiwira (200MW).

Transmission lines to be built includes Iringa-Shinyanga 637kilometres (400KV), Dar es Salaam, Chalinze, Tanga, Same to Arusha 682KM (400KV), Somanga Fungu- Kinyerezi 203KM (220KV).

Others include Nyakanazi, Kigoma, Mpanda, Sumbawanga to Mbeya 340KM (400KV) and Dar es Salaam, Morogoro to Dodoma 530KM (400KV).

The Minister for Energy and Minerals, Prof Sospeter Muhongo early last month unveiled his ministry's key projects towards the new initiative to achieve "Big Results Now", saying the target was to increase units per person to 490 by 2025 from the current 97.

The minister noted that the country also envisages lifting the percentage of electricity users in the country from the current 21 per cent to 56 in 2025.

"To start with, we want to make sure that at least 30 per cent of people get connected by 2015 and increase unit per person from the current 97 to 236 units in the same period," he said.

Prof Muhongo said to achieve the 2025 middle income target; the ministry will focus on natural gas, coal and renewable energies such as wind, solar and geothermal as sources of energy to check the over-dependency on hydro power.