7 Nov 2024 11:00

Gazprom initiates pilot project to supply CNG fueling trucks to Tanzania

MOSCOW. Nov 7 (Interfax) - Gazprom presented a pilot project to supply two compressed natural gas fueling trucks to Tanzania at African Energy Week 2024 in Cape Town, the Russian gas giant said.

The trucks, which are intended to fuel various vehicles with CNG and transport it, will make it possible to increase the number of daily fuelings on Tanzania's natural gas vehicle (NGV) market, the company said, adding that the number of local automobile owners choosing natural gas is rapidly growing.

The CNG trucks can also be used for autonomous gasification of industrial and household consumers, Gazprom said.

Tanzania, which has a population of 67 million, increased natural gas production by 9.3% to 2.33 billion cubic meters in 2023, Eni statistics showed.

"Countries of the Global South in general and the African continent in particular will be the new point of growth in natural gas consumption. Growing populations and urbanization dictate the need to ensure access to a reliable and environmentally clean source of energy, which natural gas certainly is. Gazprom's experience in developing the domestic gas market, our competencies, technology and equipment might be sought after to solve African countries' energy supply challenges," Gazprom department head Dmitry Khandogi, who gave a presentation on the "Gazprom Group in Africa," was quoted as saying in the press release.

Russia's Energy Ministry reported that Deputy Energy Minister Roman Marshavin also took part in the forum. He said at a roundtable that promising areas for cooperation include the oil and gas sector, renewable energy, modernization and construction of network infrastructure and digital technologies in the fuel and energy sector.

"Considering the pressing problem of modernizing networks in Africa, which often leads to outages and significant energy losses, I would like to stress that Russian companies have a lot of experience in increasing energy security and efficiency," the ministry quoted Marshavin as saying.

Another promising area for bilateral cooperation is training workers for the energy sector, Marshavin said, adding that Russia is prepared to share its experience training professionals for the oil, gas and mining sectors, as well as in the area of energy sector digitalization.