Tanzania is currently spending large sums of money on importing fuel to generate electricity.However natural gas could change this.

If natural gas from Mtwara is fully utilised by all sectors, it could save Sh1.6 trillion (R11 billion) annually by eliminating the need to import fuel.

“Natural gas can guarantee sustainable human development and can also save the country from abject poverty. Natural gas will help us generate affordable power that will be used in different projects,” says chairperson of the Parliamentary Energy and Minerals Committee Victor Mwambalaswa.

The last consignment of pipelines that will be used to transport gas to Dar es Salaam from Mtwara were off-loaded at Dar es Salaam port a few days ago. China’s Petroleum Technology Development Company is expected to have finished laying the pipes by June this year.

The government has set aside Sh208 billion this year for the construction of a power plant and a substation at Kinyerezi I. Another Sh109 billion has been set aside for the construction of a power plant and a substation at Kinyerezi II. The two projects will generate a total of 390MW of electricity.