Tanzania government yesterday agreed with the government of the people’s
democratic Republic of Algeria to facilitate three main economic development projects
for the energy sector which the two countries signed in their Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) early December 2013. Among the major development projects is the
establishment of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) processing plant for home
cooking which the Algerian government has agreed to invest in the country, the
Minister for Energy and Minerals Professor Sospeter Muhongo has said. Prof.
Muhongo was briefing journalists on Friday last week in Dar es Salaam the
outcome of the two day meeting whose aim was to give go ahead of the projects which
he signed during his first meeting with the Algerian officials when he visited
their country in early December 2013. During the meeting, the two ministers had
agreed to promote the energy and mineral sectors in the country whereby the
Algerian government would give technical assistance to restructure electricity,
minerals, gas and oil sectors in the country. The yesterday’s Dar meeting was
attended by Algerian Minister for Energy and Mining Mr. Youcef Yousf and his
delegation team who are in the country on the invitation of Professor Muhongo. He
said the establishment of the LPG plant in the country which is to take effect
after six months from now, will help minimize unnecessary usage of trees for
firewood and charcoal to approximately between 40 and 45 percent respectively
in the country. Drawing the experience of the project from Algerians, Prof.
Muhongo noted that, they have managed to supply LPG for cooking to about 15
million people in their country which has a total population of 38 million
people. The second project the Professor noted is that of a joint venture with
Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO) for the rural supply of electricity
in the country. He elaborated that, TANESCO will form a joint venture company
to work in collaboration with the Algerian technical experts specializing in
rural energy sector to help Rural Energy Agency (REA) in facilitating their
projects which has entered into the second phase since February this year. The
third project Professor Muhongo noted is that of the manufacturing of the
Phosphates in the country whose research activities is going on in the country
and will take effect in July this year.
The
Minister for Energy and Minerals Professor Sospeter Muhongo
“These are the main economic
development projects which my ministry will take as they are more helpful to
cater for the need of human modern life of the today’s century” he said adding
that Tanzanians should expect big changes on energy sector. However, he noted
that, the government will continue to negotiate with the Algerian government on
other development possibilities such as on how to revamp the sector and will
deliberate on other projects soon. He mentioned projects associated with oil
and gas exploration in the country would come after as these are more
comprehensive for the development of the national economy at large. These he
said would be put in discussion on his another visit to Algeria scheduled on 30th
June a day when the two governments will meet to sign another MoU for the implementation
of the intended projects in place. On his part, the Algerian Minister thanked
the government of Tanzania for the cooperation they have shown for the
development of the extractive industry and how it is going on in the country. He
noted that, his country has committee to have interest for the energy
sector due to its richness in minerals
and other underground resources which he said if are invested properly will
uplift the life of Tanzanians. He
reiterated the need for his government’s continued education assistance to
provide scholarships to young Tanzanians who are going for studies in higher
learning institutions. LPG is the most common cooking fuel in
many countries for economic reasons, for convenience or because it is the
preferred fuel source. Predominantly in Europe and rural parts of many
countries, LPG can provide an alternative to electricity and heating oil
(kerosene). LPG is most often used where there is no access to piped natural
gas. LPG is produced during the oil refining process or is extracted during the
natural gas production process. Because of its high calorific value, LPG is
ideally suited for use in industrial, commercial, agricultural, horticultural
and manufacturing applications. It can also be used for heating, lighting,
cooking, powering vehicles and cogeneration. For homes and businesses that are
not connected to the natural gas underground mains network, LPG is a cost
effective alternative energy source because it is easy to transport and store. Oryx Energies is a market leader in
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in Tanzania, distributing almost 30,000 MT per
year, continues to invest in the expansion of its network. The company store,
bottle and distribute LPG from gas terminal and filling plant in Dar es Salaam
and actively promote LPG as an alternative to fossil fuel usage (in particular
firewood and charcoal).
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