TPDC explains Tuesday’s CNG crisis

DAR ES SALAAM: The Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) has attributed the significant traffic congestion at the Tazara Compressed Natural Gas filling station spotted in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday to power outage at the Airport filling station.

TPDC Acting Director of Oil and Gas Business, Eng. Emmanuel Gilbert, explained that the outage problem, which lasted for 21 hours, led to severe delays at the Tazara station.

Eng. Gilbert said the limited number of gas stations in the city makes it difficult to manage such disruptions.

“The shortage of gas stations in Dar es Salaam means that when one station experiences a technical issue, it puts immense pressure on the others,” he said.

He also explained that the affected gas stations require electricity to compress natural gas. Without power, operations come to a halt, leading to backups that ripple through the system.

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He further acknowledged the growing demand for compressed natural gas among motorists, noting that about 4,000 vehicles are currently using it, while the city’s existing station can only serve between 1,200 and 1,500 vehicles daily.

“One of the three stations is a subsidiary reliant on the Ubungo station for its supply. If the Ubungo station is down, we are left with just the Airport station, which, although a major station, does not supply others. This creates a bottleneck, resulting in long queues,” he added.

He said that in addressing the issue, TPDC plans to construct more than 13 new gas stations by June 2025.

He also said that the corporation has already issued permits to 40 private companies to invest in the sector, though he admitted that the pace of investment has not been as rapid as expected.