Trials on a New Gas Pipeline in Tanzania to Start Next Week

The Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) is expected to start trials on a new 542-kilometre long gas pipeline from Mtwara to Dar es Salaam next week, according The East African.

“The gas processing plants and the natural gas pipeline will be ready for trial operation on July 29,” said TPDC managing director James Mataragio.

The pipeline will transport 80 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day in September and the capacity is expected to rise to 1,002 million standard cubic feet per day. It will enable gas from Mnazi Bay and Msimbati fields in southern Tanzania — owned by Wentworth Resources Ltd with Maurel Prom — to be delivered to Dar es Salaam under an agreement signed with TPDC.

The pipeline was financed by a $1.2 billion loan from Export-Import Bank of China.

According to The East African, initial production will be from the Mnazi Bay field wells in Mtwara. Total output is expected to increase to 130 million standard cubic feet per day in future. The Songo Songo field wells are expected to start producing 120 million standard cubic feet per day in October. 

In recent years, Tanzania has discovered large amounts of natural gas in offshore fields. In June, George Simbachawene, Tanzania's energy and minerals minister, said that as a result of ongoing exploration activity, natural gas resources discovered in the country rose from 46.5 tcf in June 2014 to 55.08 tcf in April 2015, equivalent to an increase of 18 percent.