Energy Mix in Tanzania

According to the most recent statistics from the International Energy Agency (IEA), Tanzania’s total energy consumption has increased by 34 percent from 14.92 million tonne of oil equivalent (mtoe) in 2002 to 22.16 mtoe in 2012. Tanzania’s energy consumption per capita has risen from 0.42 tonne of oil equivalent (toe) toe per capita in 2002 to 0.46 toe per capita in 2012. This is slightly lower than neighbouring Kenya’s which stands at 0.48 toe per capita. In 2012, the most important sources of energy consumption in Tanzania by far were bio-fuels and waste such as firewood. These sources of energy accounted for more than 85 percent of the total energy consumption. A further 14 percent came from oil products and natural gas with the remainder coming from hydro-power. About half of Tanzania’s electricity was produced by natural gas, 29 percent by hydro-power and 20 percent by oil. The remainder come from bio-fuels and solar power.

Tanzania’s total energy production has increased by more than 30 percent from 2002 to 2012. In 2002, Tanzania produced 13.93 mtoe which increased to 19.94 mtoe in 2012. In the same period of time net energy imports more than doubled from 1.09 mtoe to 2.40 mtoe. Tanzania currently produces small volumes of natural gas for domestic consumption, but the country has the potential to become a liquefied natural gas exporter in the future. Tanzania does not produce crude oil; in fact, no commercial oil discovery in the country has been reported recently. Tanzania produced 33 billion cubic feet of natural gas in 2012, all of which was consumed locally. The country expects to marginally increase natural gas production in the next few years from the Mnazi Bay Concession (Maurel and Prom in Tanzania), located in southeast Tanzania in the Rovuma Basin. A pipeline (Dar es Salaam-Mtwara) is being constructed to transport natural gas from Mnazi Bay to Dar es Salaam. Tanzania also produces small volumes of coal. The country produced 106,000 short tonnes of coal in 2012, all of which was consumed locally. =References=