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Songo Songo is one of several gas fields offshore Tanzania (Image: EIA)

Tanzania says it is discussing fertiliser

project with several potential partners

TANZANIA TANZANIA’S government says it is in talks with Ministry, is working to speed up and conclude
several potential investors on a fertiliser project the negotiations and eventually find potential
that would make use of locally produced natural investors to build fertiliser factories with the
gas. aim of ending the serious problem of importing
Deputy Minister for Industry and Trade fertilisers from abroad,” he stated.
Exaud Kigahe told legislators recently that Tan- The deputy minister did not name any of the
zanian officials had previously held discussions companies currently involved in the talks. But
with two German companies – Ferrostaal, a steel he did emphasise that the Tanzanian govern-
manufacturer, and Helm, a diversified industrial ment saw the construction of a domestic fertil-
group involved in fertiliser production, several iser plant as a high priority. Once the state signs
years ago. Since then, he said, they have met an agreement with a foreign partner, it will work
with representatives of several other companies to ensure that construction begins as quickly as
– including the Dangote group (Nigeria) and possible, he was quoted as saying by Tanzania
Elsewedy (Egypt), as well as Minjingu Mines Daily News.
and Fertiliser, a domestic operator – to discuss He also noted that the government’s master
the matter. plan for gas utilisation called for allocating a
Kigahe said that the Ministry of Industry certain portion of the country’s gas reserves for
and Trade had been working with several gov- fertiliser production.
ernment agencies on the project, including the Tanzania is believed to possess around 57
Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority trillion cubic feet (1.614 trillion cubic metres) of
(EWURA), the Petroleum Upstream Regulatory gas, and the master plan states that 700bn cubic
Authority (PURA), the Tanzania Investment feet (19.822bn cubic metres) of gas from the
Centre (TIC) and Tanzania Petroleum Devel- offshore Songo Songo field will be set aside for
opment Corp. (TPDC). delivery to a future fertiliser plant. (This is equiv-
“The government, through the Invest- alent to about 1.23% of the country’s estimated
ment Centre, TPDC, PURA, EWURA and the total reserves.) ™

Week 38 22•September•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P7