Dar es Salaam will start receiving natural gas to relieve the city of the chronic power shortages; this will be enabled by a 1.33 billion dollar project initiated by the Government of Tanzania according to a statement released by the president’s office on Sunday
“Tanzanian president Jakaya Kikwete inaugurated the pipeline and gas processing plants … ensuring availability of gas for electricity generation to power factories and for domestic use,” the presidency said in a statement.
Tanzania aims to increase power generation to 10,000 MW by 2025. By adding the Mtwara – Dar es Slaam 532 km pipeline and gas processing plants which is part of a plan to generate 2,000 megawatts of new gas fired electricity power. A majority of the new plants will be gas fired but the others will use coal reserves and renewable resources such as wind and geothermal.
At the moment on 40 percent of people are connected to the national grid but the government is looking to expand the capacity to meet domestic demand and even export to neighbouring countries.
Discoveries in Tanzania and Mozambique waters have predicted large quantities of natural gas which could lead to the area being third – largest exporter of natural gas.
The government of Tanzania believes that by transferring to gas – fired power plants, the country will save at least 1 billion dollars annually in oil imports for electricity generation.
