Tanzania and Zambia to Assess Costs for Joint Pipeline Expansion Project
A contractor has been assigned to conduct a feasibility study aimed at expanding the capacity of the Tanzanian-Zambia Crude Oil Pipeline, commonly known as the Tazama Pipeline. The goal is to increase its capacity to transport 5 million tonnes of crude oil annually.
The Tazama Pipeline, built in 1968, currently has a capacity of 800,000 tonnes, which no longer meets the demands of Tanzania and Zambia, necessitating the upgrade.
According to the Tanzanian newspaper The Citizen, Davison Thawethe, Managing Director of Tanzania Pipeline Limited, stated that the cost of the renovation will be determined by the feasibility study.
“We have commissioned Norplan to conduct the study on the 1,710 km pipeline. The company will begin its work shortly to determine, among other things, the cost of the pipeline upgrade,” he said.
The onshore pipeline, with a maximum diameter of 12 inches, starts in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and extends to Northwestern Province, Zambia, as reported by GlobalData and Offshore Technology.
This project is crucial for Zambia, which does not produce crude oil and relies on imports through Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam port from the Middle East and Europe.
Most petroleum is currently transported by road, making distribution across the country time-consuming and costly. For years, the 1,710 km (1,062 mi) Tazama pipeline has been the primary route for transporting crude oil from Dar es Salaam to Zambia’s Indeni Petroleum Refinery in Ndola.
