OIL
and natural gas exploration is proceeding as planned, the Ministry of
Lands, Water, Energy and Environment assured Members of the House of
Representatives yesterday.
Moving her Ministerial budget estimates
for the 2018/19 fiscal year, Lands, Water, Energy and Environment
Minister, Ms Salama Aboud Talib noted that currently the government
continues with seismic surveys to produce detailed images of local
geology to determine the location and size of possible oil and gas
reservoirs.
She added that since the seismic survey
exercise kicked off last year, 66 sound waves covering a total of 2815.6
km have been recorded for later analysis in Unguja and Pemba
coastlines.
The exercise was carried out by BGP
explorer. Onshore operations, which usually use specialised trucks that
carry a heavy plate that is vibrated to generate a seismic signal, will
be conducted within the next eight months, the minister told the House.
She was upbeat over the success of the
ongoing exploration, noting that the public will be updated on the
progress and results of the survey. She called on citizens to be patient
and wait for reliable information on the findings from relevant
authorities.
According Ms Talib, currently the Zanzibar
Petroleum Regulatory Authority (ZPRA) in collaboration with her
ministry and the Isles Attorney General are negotiating with RAKGAS for
the exploration in Pemba Block ahead of signing a contract.
She recalled that the oil and gas survey
in Zanzibar kicked off last year using airborne full tensor gravity
(FTG), a six-week exercise performed by the Bell Geospace Enterprises
Company Limited of the United Kingdom.
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