Page 6 - GLNG Week 27 2021
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Deputy minister confirms 2023
start date for Tanzania LNG project
PROJECTS & TANZANIA’S Deputy Energy Minister Stephen The deputy minister responded by highlight-
COMPANIES Byabato has confirmed that work on the Tanza- ing TPDC’s activities on this front, saying that
nia LNG project is still slated to begin in 2023. the NOC has continued to encourage interna-
Byabato told members of the National tional oil companies (IOCs) to invest in a variety
Assembly last week that the schedule for the of projects, including upstream exploration and
project had not changed. Tanzania Petroleum development schemes and gas processing. “Until
Development Corp. (TPDC), the national oil now, we have about 11 contracts for exploration
company (NOC), still expects work to begin in and processing of natural gas and we are working
2023 and finish in 2028, he said. with different companies in collaboration with
He also put the total cost of the project at TPDC,” he stated.
$30.5bn and said that TPDC had begun the pro- He went on to say that a total of 57.54 trillion
cess of compensating the people who have been cubic feet (1.629 trillion cubic metres) of gas had
relocated to make way for the construction of an been discovered in Tanzania to date. Currently,
onshore gas liquefaction plant at Lindi, in the he added, the country uses about 50% of its gas
southern part of the country. Thus far, he said, output to generate electricity, while the other
the company has paid out TZS5.7bn ($2.46mn) 50% is used to fuel vehicles, industrial facilities
to the owners of the land where the facility will and homes.
be built. Tanzania is not yet a major gas producer, but
He was responding to a question from Sham- it does extract at least 19bn cubic feet (538mn
sia Mtamba, a delegate from the Citizens United cubic metres) per year from Songo Songo and
Front (CUF) faction. Mtamba had asked for other fields. It is hoping to raise this figure as the
clarification on the project on the grounds that LNG scheme moves forward.
the government had not disclosed sufficient According to previous reports, Tanza-
information about plans for Tanzania LNG. nia LNG will involve constructing a gas liq-
She also requested more information on plans uefaction plant with two production trains
for development of the country’s gas reserves – with a capacity of 5mn tonnes per year (tpy)
from a general perspective, and not just within each. The facility will process gas from three
the framework of the Tanzania LNG project. deepwater offshore sites containing about 35
“The government had a good plan for the tcf (991bn cubic metres) – Block 2, assigned
natural gas in the country, but until now there to Equinor (Norway), and Blocks 1 and 4,
has been a dilemma over this robust invest- assigned to Royal Dutch Shell (UK/Nether-
ment,” she was quoted as saying by Tanzania lands). The government hopes to sign a host
Daily News. “What is the government state- government agreement (HGA) with the two
ment on this plan?” companies in the near future.
Rwandan MPs authorise funding
for 2-D survey of Lake Kivu
PROJECTS & RWANDA’S Chamber of Deputies has agreed to Munyaneza did not say when RMB would
COMPANIES make funding available for an oil and gas explo- receive the funds. The board had said previously
ration project that is running behind schedule. that it hoped to launch a 2-D seismic survey of
According to Omar Munyaneza, the chairman Lake Kivu in June 2021, but its schedule has been
of the legislature’s Committee on National Budget disrupted – partly by the coronavirus (COVID-
and Patrimony, the Chamber of Deputies has given 19) pandemic and partly by budget constraints.
the nod to the budget proposed by Rwanda Mines, The agency is hoping to begin gathering seismic
Petroleum and Gas Board (RMB). This will make data in the near future, said Vital Karangwa,
RWF1.038bn ($1.035mn) available for the project, RMB’s head of communications.
which will involve the collection of 2-D seismic The board hopes that the 2-D survey will sup-
data from the lakebed, he was quoted as saying last port plans by Gasmeth, a special-purpose vehicle
week by The New Times. formed by several investors with experience in
P6 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 27 09•July•2021
