Foreword

The Energy Sector plays an important role in the socio-economic development of any country. Access to reliable, affordable, sustainable, and modern energy for all people is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. Tanzania, like many African countries, faces some pressing challenges, such as a growing population, accelerating economic activity and rising energy demand.

The Tanzania government has set a target to increase the population with access to electricity and clean cooking solutions to more than 75% by 2030. This handbook on local-level energy planning provides a framework that will contribute to achieving that target. The handbook has considered new options that traditional planning was unable to properly assess. Supporting and delivering local energy solutions to meet local needs, linking local generation and use can help create vibrant local energy economies and transform local communities.

Local Level Energy Plans are created by local communities and provide an opportunity to set out key priorities and opportunities that will promote the development of local energy systems that are designed and developed in line with local socio-economic and cultural context situations. The development of the local level energy planning guide is important in the transformation of Tanzania's energy sector. I sincerely hope this handbook will be helpful to a wider range of stakeholders in the energy sector