Tanzania will offer seven deep offshore blocks and one onshore block for oil and gas exploration in October 2013, state-run Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) has announced
The East African country, termed as a hotbed for gas discoveries, estimated that it holds more than 934mn cubic metres of recoverable natural gas reserves.
BG Group, Ophir Energy, Statoil and ExxonMobil are the latest companies to strike gas off Tanzania’s shores.
TPDC said the seven deep offshore blocks — Block 4/2A, Block 4/3A, Block 4/3B, Block 4/4A, Block 4/5B, Block 4/5A and Block 4/5B — consist of an area of approximately 3,000 sq km each and are up to three kilometres deep under water.
“Another two offshore blocks — Block 4/1B and Block 4/1C — will be reserved for the government, which will later seek strategic partners,” the regulator added.
The onshore block is North Lake Tanganyika, located on the the Tanzanian side.
Gas strikes off East Africa’s seaboard have led to predictions that the region could become the world’s third-largest exporter of natural gas.
