By Anne Robi in Mtwara
MTWARA and Lindi residents may now broadly smile following the government decision to set aside 10.74bn/- to connect and supply clean and safe natural gas to the two regions.
Minister for Energy Dr Medard Kalemani has said the funds would also be used to connect and supply the natural gas for industrial, public and private institutions as well as for car use in the regions.
The minister announced the good news here yesterday when inaugurating the second phase of connecting the natural gas to 300 residents in Mtwara region.
Dr Kalemani commended Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) for embarking on the plan, urging the Corporation to ensure all the residents in need of the natural power are connected.
He also asked the state-run Corporation and the Gas Company Tanzania Limited (GASCO) to build a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) filling station in Mtwara to serve vehicles for Mtwara residents.
"I call upon the Managing Director of TPDC to build a CNG station here in Mtwara to serve motorists whose cars support the use of gas," he said, noting that it was not conceivable for the station to be stationed in Dar and Coast regions, leaving the gas region without CNG station.
Meanwhile, Dr Kalemani said the government was committed to ensure the natural gas was also supplied to other regions in the country.
He said the government's plan which is already underway will lead to the connection and supply of the gas to Morogoro, Tanga, Dodoma, Mwanza, Arusha and other regions in the country.
He also said the government also plans to connect and supply the natural gas to villages by copying and pasting an ongoing rural electrification programme, an initiative that has proved to be successful.
TPDC Director General Dr James Mataragio said over 900m/- would be spent in the second phase of connecting the gas to 300 customers in the Mtwara region. In the first phase implemented in 2020, the Corporation spent 3.2bn/ to connect and supply clean and safe natural gas to 125 customers in the region.
The DG assured the public that the natural gas would be supplied to all residents in need in Mtwara, Lindi and other regions.
According to Dr Kalemani, the government plan is to spend 18.8 out of 547.54 trillion cubic of natural gas reserves in electricity, 1.3 trillion cubic feet for residential use and 1.1trillion cubic to power vehicles.
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