Tanzania Accelerates Geothermal Development with Kiejo-Mbaka Consultancy Tender for Strategic Drilling Programme

Tanzania Opens International Tender for Kiejo-Mbaka Geothermal Consultancy — What It Means for East Africa’s Drilling Frontier

By Alphaxioms | Geothermal Intelligence & Deal Facilitation | May 2026

Tanzania is quietly accelerating its geothermal agenda.

The Tanzania Geothermal Development Company Limited (TGDC) has issued an international tender inviting qualified firms to provide consultancy services for the Kiejo-Mbaka Geothermal Project in Rungwe District, Mbeya Region. The tender closes on 5 June 2026 and represents one of the most strategically important geothermal procurement milestones in East Africa this year.

This is not routine procurement. It is a critical step in transitioning Kiejo-Mbaka from exploration confirmation into structured, bankable development.

What the Tender Covers

The scope of the assignment is technically intensive and strategically important.

TGDC is seeking a consultancy firm to deliver:

Planning, design, supervision, and management of a drilling programme comprising three slim wells and one full-size geothermal well
A Pre-Feasibility Study for Geothermal Reservoir Assessment at the Kiejo-Mbaka field

This assignment does not involve drilling itself. Instead, it provides the engineering and scientific framework that will guide how drilling is executed, interpreted, and translated into investment-grade geothermal data.

The consultant will shape:

Well design strategy
Drilling execution methodology
Reservoir evaluation framework
Field development decision-making inputs

All tender documents and submission requirements are available through Tanzania’s National e-Procurement System (NEsT) procurement portal.

The project site is located in Rungwe District, Mbeya Region, within Tanzania’s geologically active southwestern highlands.

Why Kiejo-Mbaka Matters Geologically

Kiejo-Mbaka lies within the Rungwe Volcanic Province, one of the most promising geothermal corridors in the East African Rift System. The system is structurally controlled and strongly influenced by the Mbaka fault, a deep permeable fracture zone that allows geothermal fluids to rise toward the surface.

Surface indicators include:

Hot springs reaching approximately 70°C
Extensive hydrothermal alteration zones
Travertine deposits indicating long-term geothermal activity

Earlier geological studies estimate subsurface reservoir temperatures exceeding 160°C, sufficient for binary geothermal power generation and potentially higher if deeper systems are confirmed.

A major milestone occurred in March 2021, when TGDC spudded KMB-01, the first geothermal well ever drilled in Tanzania. That marked the country’s transition from surface exploration to subsurface confirmation.

This tender represents the next phase: structured reservoir characterization and drilling-based validation.

Why the Programme Uses Slim and Full-Size Wells

The combination of three slim wells and one full-size well is a globally established geothermal exploration strategy.

Slim wells are used to:

Rapidly access subsurface temperature data
Map pressure gradients across the field
Analyze rock permeability and fluid chemistry
Reduce early-stage drilling cost and risk

Together, the three slim wells provide spatial coverage that helps build a clearer model of the reservoir.

The full-size well serves a different function. It is the commercial validation step, designed to test:

Sustainable flow rates
Reservoir pressure response
Long-term production potential

This combination shifts the project from geological confirmation to investment readiness.

Tanzania’s Expanding Geothermal Strategy

Kiejo-Mbaka is part of a broader national geothermal programme led by TGDC, which manages five flagship prospects:

Ngozi
Kiejo-Mbaka
Songwe
Luhoi
Natron

Together, these projects form the backbone of Tanzania’s geothermal ambition, with a long-term development target exceeding 200 MW, supported by an estimated national resource potential of more than 5,000 MW.

Several fields have already progressed to resource confirmation stages, while others remain in early exploration. The key shift now is not potential—but execution speed.

Parallel procurement activity at other sites, including drilling programmes and technical partnerships, indicates a coordinated acceleration across multiple geothermal fields.

International collaboration is also expanding, with technical partnerships bringing in additional expertise from global geothermal players, strengthening Tanzania’s development capacity.

What Consultancy Firms Need to Understand

This is a highly specialized geothermal assignment.

Key expectations include:

1. Integrated technical expertise

The consultancy must combine reservoir engineering, drilling design, geoscience interpretation, and project supervision into a unified framework.

2. Structural geology sensitivity

Kiejo-Mbaka is fault-controlled. Well placement must account for intersecting fault systems that strongly influence fluid flow and temperature distribution.

3. Full drilling lifecycle understanding

The role bridges exploration and pre-development, covering slim-hole drilling through to full-diameter production testing.

4. Strict procurement compliance

All submissions must follow Tanzania’s public procurement procedures via the official NEsT system, with full documentation and compliance requirements.

The deadline of 5 June 2026 is firm.

Strategic Interpretation: Why This Tender Matters

For East Africa’s geothermal sector, this tender is a strong signal of momentum.

Kenya remains the regional leader in geothermal development, but Tanzania is now demonstrating structured acceleration in both procurement and technical execution.

Kiejo-Mbaka is especially important because:

It already has confirmed geothermal indicators
It has undergone initial drilling activity
It is entering structured reservoir validation

This is the stage where geothermal projects either become bankable—or stall.

The consultancy selected will therefore play a decisive role in shaping the field’s future trajectory.

Tender Snapshot

Issuer: Tanzania Geothermal Development Company Limited (TGDC)
Project: Kiejo-Mbaka Geothermal Project
Location: Rungwe District, Mbeya Region, Tanzania
Scope:
- Drilling programme design and supervision (3 slim wells + 1 full-size well)
- Pre-feasibility reservoir assessment study
Closing Date: 5 June 2026
Procurement System: Tanzania National e-Procurement System (NEsT)
TGDC Website: tgdc.go.tz

Alphaxioms tracks geothermal procurement, deal flow, and project intelligence across East Africa and global emerging markets.

Contact: +254701279086 | robertbuluma0@gmail.com | alphaxioms.blogspot.com

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Source: Email Correspondence

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