Tanzania says three Mnazi Bay wells found gas; quantity due this month
Energy Minister Juma Homera says drilling is complete at the Mtwara Region block. The government plans to disclose how much gas was found at an event on 26–27 October.
Tanzania said on 18 October that three completed wells in the Mnazi Bay block in Mtwara Region had found natural gas, a potential addition to the country’s energy resources. Energy Minister Juma Homera said the quantity would be disclosed at an event scheduled for 26 and 27 October in Msimbati, according to The Citizen.
Homera told reporters in Dar es Salaam that the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation and its partner M&P drilled the wells, the Ministry of Energy said. Two are development wells and one is an exploration well. The ministry described the drilling as successfully completed, but did not give a volume for the discovery.
How much gas did the Mnazi Bay wells find?
The ministry said the discovery was expected to add to Tanzania’s existing estimated natural-gas resource figure of 57.54 trillion cubic feet. That figure describes the resources counted before the new wells; the amount attributable to them is due to be announced at the Msimbati event. The size of the find will determine how much it changes the national estimate.
The Citizen reported that the government intends to launch the drilled wells at the same event. Its account gives the dates as 26 and 27 October. The ministry also placed the planned launch in Msimbati the following week, but did not specify those two dates in its statement.
Where Tanzania plans to use more gas
Homera linked additional gas supplies to electricity generation and industrial use, including fertiliser production, The Citizen reported. Those plans explain the government’s interest in the find, although the amount available from the three wells has yet to be stated. The ministry also presented the discovery as an opportunity for further investment in the gas sector.
The Mnazi Bay announcement comes as Tanzania pursues other gas projects. The Citizen reported that seismic-data collection in the Eyasi-Wembere and Lindi-Mtwara blocks was continuing, with completion expected in December 2026. That work is aimed at identifying areas with potential oil and gas deposits, separate from the three completed Mnazi Bay wells.
At Ntorya, a separate development, Homera said a 35-kilometre pipeline to Madimba was 70% complete and was expected to be finished in December 2026, according to The Citizen. Production there was projected to begin early in 2027 at 40 million cubic feet a day. Those figures concern Ntorya and do not measure the Mnazi Bay discovery.
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Sources and context
- Tanzania to announce new natural gas finds soonThe Citizen (Julius Maricha)
- Kiasi cha gesi asilia kuongezeka nchini kufuatia ugunduzi mpya Mnazi Bay - Dkt. HomeraTanzania Ministry of Energy
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.