TZ Africa Updated 2026-08-20

Tanzania Geothermal Screening

Geothermal screening assessment identifies 52.3% prospective land reaching 185°C by 5.5 km depth in Tanzania.

Key Geothermal Metrics

Land Reaching 185°C by 5.5 km High Potential
52.3%

Primary baseline screening criterion

Shallowest Depth to 200°C Very Shallow
2.8 km

Minimum drill depth for high enthalpy

Peak Temperature at 5 km Depth Superhot
285.8 °C

Maximum modeled temperature

Typical Geothermal Gradient Volcanic / Rift
73.2 °C/km

Average to 5 km depth (15°C surface)

Grid Connectable Prospective Area Moderate Distance
59.4%

Hot territory within 50 km transmission

Stored Heat In-Place (3–7 km) 1 ZJ = 10²¹ Joules
634.2 ZJ

Thermal volume in place (>80°C baseline)

Depth vs. Temperature Matrix (% Land Area)

Proportion of national territory exceeding target isotherm at specified depth

0.1° Inversion Grid
Isotherm 3.0 km 4.0 km 5.0 km 6.0 km 7.0 km 8.0 km
150°C 20.6% 37.8% 56.7% 75.7% 99% 100%
175°C 16% 35.2% 50.1% 66% 97.9% 100%
200°C 12.4% 30.6% 46.2% 62.9% 78.5% 100%
225°C 12.6% 24% 37% 47.2% 63.9% 69.3%
250°C 8.7% 16.5% 29.3% 37% 44.1% 59%

4-Stage Geothermal Resource & Infrastructure Funnel

Progressive screening from gross national territory down to grid-connected & populated prospective zones

1 Whole country
947 303 km² 100%
2 Reaches 185°C by 5.5 km
495 439 km² 52.3%
3 ...and within 50 km transmission
294 291 km² 31.1%
4 ...and within 100 km town
255 234 km² 28.1%

Geological Setting & Subsurface Parameters

Lithology, basement thickness, stress and thermal boundary constraints

Median Depth to 200°C Isotherm 5.4 km
Best 10th Percentile Depth to 200°C 3.6 km
Median Temperature at 5 km Depth 231.3 °C
Best 10th Percentile Temp at 5 km 255.3 °C
Median Sediment Thickness 0.5 km
Sediment / Hard-Rock Well Share 23.8%
Territory Under 1 km Sediment Cover 95.8%
Lithostatic Pressure at 5 km Depth 132.7 MPa
Moho Crustal Discontinuity Depth 33.7 km
Thermal Lithosphere Thickness 96 km
Curie Temperature Isotherm Depth 12.9 km
Model Temperature Spread Uncertainty (200°C) ±1 km

Transmission Grid & Demand Colocation

Infrastructure interconnectivity and urban power demand proximity

High-Voltage Transmission Network Length 20 565 km
Land Area Within 25 km of Grid 52.2%
Land Area Within 50 km of Grid 59.4%
Land Area Within 100 km of Grid 66.6%
Average Proximity to Nearest Substation / Line 26.3 km
Urban Centers (>10,000 Population) 159
Total Urban Population 30.9 M
Prospective Resource Colocated Near Demand (>1M Pop) 71.6%

Target Sensitivity & Deep EGS Upside

Sensitivity of prospective resource area to adjusted depth and temperature thresholds

150°C Baseline at 5.5 km 83.7% of national territory reaches 150°C at 5.5 km depth
185°C Baseline at 7.5 km 94.1% of national territory reaches 185°C at 7.5 km depth

Global Peer Benchmarking (vs. 278 Assessed Jurisdictions)

Relative ranking distribution of Tanzania across 11 standardized geothermal indicators

Tanzania Rank Global Peer Spread
Shallowest 200°C depth
2.8 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 74th percentile
Peak temp at 5 km
285.8 °C Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 74th percentile
Prospective land area (>185°C at 5.5 km)
52.3% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 87th percentile
Stored heat in-place (3-7 km)
634.2 ZJ Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 88th percentile
Typical geothermal gradient
73.2 °C/km Top 10%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 99th percentile
Grid proximity (<50 km)
59.4% Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 59th percentile
Thin sediment coverage (<1 km)
95.8% Top 10%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 96th percentile
Curie isotherm depth
12.9 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 72th percentile
Moho crustal thickness
33.7 km Lower 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 39th percentile
Model temperature uncertainty spread
±1 km Middle 50%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 61th percentile
Urban demand colocation
74.7% Top 25%
P0 (Lowest) P50 (Median) P100 (Highest) • 62th percentile
Asset-Level 3D Simulation Available

Need Interactive 3D Spatial Inversion for Tanzania?

High-resolution 3D temperature cubes, localized Curie depth inversions, fault network stress tensors, and drilling capex curves for Tanzania are accessible through our Premium & Enterprise subscription tiers.

Direct Founder Contact: founders@geothermalradar.com

Analytical Geothermal Assessment & Discussion: Tanzania

Subsurface thermal interpretation, model uncertainty, infrastructure colocation, and resource quality analysis

Resource Overview

Geothermal assessment for Tanzania indicates rift_volcanic geological controls governing subsurface heat transport, yielding 52.3% of land area reaching the baseline target of 185°C at 5.5 km depth.

Uncertainty & Model Variance

Thermal inversion across Tanzania shows consistent model convergence with constrained standard deviations across deep crustal layers.

Grid & Infrastructure Colocation

National electrical transmission coverage positions approximately 59.4% of prospective geothermal ground within 50 km of existing high-voltage corridors.

Geological & Basement Setting

Subsurface lithology is characterized by rift volcanic dynamics with median sediment thickness of 0.5 km and crustal thickness of 33.7 km.

Stored Heat Volume

Accessible thermal energy in place between 3 km and 7 km depth above 80°C totals 634.2 Zettajoules (ZJ).

Peer Comparison

Benchmarked against 237 global assessment jurisdictions, Tanzania demonstrates competitive positioning across heat flow, infrastructure, and basement competence indicators.

Target Sensitivity Analysis

Screening at 150°C baseline at 5.5 km increases prospective territory, demonstrating substantial deep EGS resource headroom.

Screening Methodology, Parameters & Limitations

This screening assessment for Tanzania is generated from Geothermal Radar Data Pack 2026.1 utilizing global 0.1° hex-grid thermal inversion across 10 526 model cells (land area: 947 303 km²). Baseline prospective criterion is defined as reaching 185°C at or above 5.5 km depth with surface temperature normalized to 15°C.

  • Screening estimates represent regional-scale heat in place and do not replace localized 3D seismic or exploratory drilling.
  • Model uncertainties expand in regions with sparse deep boreholes and complex thrust fault kinematics.
  • Grid proximity indicators reflect line-of-sight distance to high-voltage transmission and do not account for local substation thermal capacity.
Need Detailed Asset-Level Due Diligence?

Access 3D temperature grids, drilling cost curves, and micro-siting GIS layers.

Request Full Technical Dossier