In this article, we explore the electrification-deforestation nexus in Tanzania, a low-income country. In 1990 only 5% of the population had access to electricity, compared to 16% today with significant differences between rural and urban areas. Most households rely on traditional fuels, especially charcoal and firewood, which adds pressure on forest resources. Significant efforts must thus be devoted to mass electrification to reach the sustainable development goals objectives and ensure access to affordable and reliable electricity to all Tanzanians. Electrification will have a wide range of positive externalities on various dimensions of welfare, notably in terms of human capital outcomes. These externalities have been widely studied and identified in the literature. However, the impacts of electrification on deforestation are less known despite the existing linkages between fuel use and forest degradation. In order to investigate the electrification-deforestation nexus, we use pixel data sets both for electrification and deforestation between 2001 and 2013. These detailed data allow us to test whether electrification slows down deforestation as households are less dependent on biomass. Our results will bring insights into cost-benefit analysis of electrification programmes and into the underlying causes of deforestation.