The Global Heroes


SOCIAL MEDIA

9th January 2025 By The Global Heroes Innovation and Business

Tanzania's Shift to Compressed Natural Gas Faces Infrastructure Challenges

Tanzania's adoption of compressed natural gas (CNG) as an alternative to petrol and diesel is gaining momentum, driven by its cost-effectiveness and environmental benefits. However, limited infrastructure is hindering its widespread implementation.

CNG, considered a cleaner-burning fossil fuel, costs less than half the price of petrol, making it an attractive option for many motorists, especially commercial drivers. The government aims for near-total adoption by mid-century, leveraging the country's vast natural gas reserves. Currently, approximately 5,000 vehicles, a small fraction of Tanzania’s fleet, run on CNG.

The conversion cost, starting at around 1.5 million Tanzanian shillings ($620), poses a barrier for some, but the long-term savings are significant. For example, a motorist can spend just 15,000 shillings ($6) to cover 180 km using CNG, compared to double that amount for petrol.

Despite these benefits, the limited number of filling stations - only four in Dar es Salaam - leads to long queues, often requiring drivers to wait for hours to refuel. Efforts to expand infrastructure include the construction of a central "mother station" in Dar es Salaam, additional smaller stations, and mobile CNG units in key cities like Dodoma and Morogoro.

Private sector involvement is also growing, with companies like Taqa Arabia planning to build more stations to support the increasing demand. The Tanzanian government remains committed to encouraging private investment and expanding the CNG network to facilitate the transition.

While these measures promise improvements in the medium term, the current scarcity of filling stations continues to frustrate early adopters. Addressing infrastructure gaps will be critical to achieving the government’s vision of a CNG-powered future.

Related Posts