Tanzania has announced a significant discovery of natural gas in the Mnazi Bay area, with an estimated 223 billion cubic feet found. This is the country's first natural gas discovery in over a decade.
What happened
The discovery was made at the Kasa-1X ST2 well, which is jointly owned by the state-owned Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation and French oil firm Maurel & Prom. Energy Minister Juma Homera described the find as a "major milestone" in the development of the country's oil and gas sector.
The new well is expected to start production early next month and will boost domestic supplies. Tanzania has existing natural gas reserves of 57.54 trillion cubic feet. The gas from the field will be used for domestic and industrial power generation, as well as for vehicles.
Natural gas accounts for nearly 80% of Tanzania's sources of electricity generation, and the country has been encouraging the use of compressed natural gas to power vehicles. The discovery is expected to support industrial growth and provide reliable, clean, and safe energy at affordable costs.
