The Masaka-Mwanza Transmission Line Project is a 98 km, 220 kV cross-border electricity interconnector between Tanzania and Uganda. The approved project is intended to provide up to 250 MW of transmission capacity around the Lake Victoria zone.
The current implementation programme has evolved beyond the original configuration. The World Bank's Uganda-Tanzania Interconnector Project finances a 260 km, 400 kV double-circuit line from Wobulenzi through Masaka to Mutukula, with associated substations and coordinated implementation with TANESCO on the Tanzanian side. The project is part of the RETRADE-EA programme for stronger regional transmission, power trade and decarbonisation.
The approved project comprises a 98 km transmission line operating at 220 kV. It was identified as a least-cost transmission investment in the Tanzania Power System Master Plan and the East African Community Power System Master Plan. The line will connect the Ugandan and Tanzanian grids around the Lake Victoria zone and provide regional transmission capacity for electricity exchange.
Verified implementation and technical context: The World Bank's current project design places the Ugandan investment within the Regional Energy Transmission, Trade and Decarbonization for Eastern Africa (RETRADE-EA) programme. It includes the 260 km Wobulenzi-Masaka-Mutukula line, extension of the Wobulenzi substation, a new Masaka substation, environmental and social mitigation, livelihood restoration, project-management support and institutional strengthening for integrated-system operation and regional power trade. UETCL is responsible for the Ugandan package, while TANESCO is responsible for the corresponding Tanzanian investments under intergovernmental and inter-utility coordination arrangements. Note: Because the current 400 kV configuration differs from the original 98 km, 220 kV original submission, the database preserves the baseline while clearly recording that the implementation programme has been technically reconfigured.
1. Enhance electricity trade between Uganda and Tanzania, with an initial target of enabling up to 400 MW of power exchange. 2. Improve the security and reliability of electricity supply in the border regions of both countries. 3. Support the development of the regional power market under the East African Power Pool (EAPP) framework. 4. Reduce electricity costs through optimized generation dispatch and reduced reliance on expensive local generation. 5. Facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources into the national grids.