Government Announces Expansion of TAZAMA Tank Farm in Tanzania

The government has begun the process of expanding a major fuel storage facility in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania.

This announcement was made by Peter Mumba, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, when he toured the site on Tuesday.

The TAZAMA Tank Farm, in Kigamboni, is a vital piece of infrastructure that serves Zambia’s energy sector. It currently consists of six large tanks which hold a combined total of 233 million litres of petroleum, allowing for its transportation into Zambia through the existing TAZAMA pipeline. Mr Mumba shared that due to the forthcoming construction of a new pipeline, as well as increasing demand across the board, the government is determined to expand the facility’s capacity to 353 million litres.  

Speaking to ZNBC News, Mr Mumba said “the pipeline will be constructed side by side with the tanks”. He also specified that the government will look to diversify the categories of fuel held at the facility; allowing for the storage of diesel and kerosene alongside petroleum.

It is hoped that increasing the supply of fuel in Zambia will lower the price and ease the pressure on Zambians applied by the cost of living. It is likely that Zambians will see these results sooner than expected; Zedekiah Otieno, the infrastructure project manager overseeing the development shared that the project is currently ahead of schedule. Its intended completion date is 11th December but it barring unforeseen delays, he is confident that it will be accomplished by October.