Tanzania is moving ahead with the development of compressed natural gas (CNG) infrastructure aimed at reducing emissions and lowering fuel costs across transport and industrial sectors—a project that could offer practical lessons for other African countries facing similar energy transition challenges.
The project, led by Puma Energy Tanzania with health, safety, sustainability, and environmental (HSSE) oversight by RSK Tanzania, includes four new CNG facilities across Dar es Salaam and Morogoro. These consist of a large-capacity “mother” station, a daughter station, and two retail outlets, making it one of the country’s most significant lower-carbon energy infrastructure investments to date.
Beyond its national significance, the project signals a shift in how African nations might approach gas-based infrastructure development—through integrated planning, stronger environmental standards, and coordinated regulatory oversight.
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RSK Tanzania, a subsidiary of the global RSK Group, is overseeing HSSE compliance throughout the pre-construction, construction, and commissioning phases. The firm has deployed a team of specialists—sourced from its international network in Australia, India, and the Middle East—to support the Tanzanian operation. According to Emmanuel Patrick, RSK Tanzania’s Project Manager, the firm has conducted full system readiness reviews, refined risk management protocols, and updated project policies in alignment with Tanzanian regulations and global best practice.
“This is a technically ambitious project with strong national relevance,” Patrick noted. “CNG offers a lower-carbon, more cost-effective alternative for industrial and transport uses, and the goal here is to ensure the infrastructure is both safe and sustainable from day one.”
The facilities are designed with both retail and industrial users in mind. The mother station, capable of supplying up to 6.7 million standard cubic feet per day, will serve bulk customers such as heavy-duty trucks and buses, and supply CNG to other distribution points via tube trailers. The two retail stations, with a combined dispensing capacity of 2 million cubic feet per day, will cater to light vehicles, three-wheelers, and smaller commercial fleets.
Puma Energy’s Project and Operations Manager, Engineer Chagaka Kalimbia, explained that this is the company’s first CNG project in Africa, part of a broader strategy to support lower-carbon fuel switching across sectors. “This investment supports broader national goals around energy access and decarbonisation,” he said. “It allows for wider adoption of CNG in transport, and also provides an alternative for industrial applications such as powering boilers and generators.”
While the project is focused on Tanzania, its regional relevance is clear. Several land-linked African countries—including Rwanda, Malawi, Uganda, and Zambia—face similar challenges with energy access, diesel dependence, and rising fuel costs. CNG offers a potential intermediate solution in urban corridors and freight routes, especially where electrification remains economically or technically unviable.
What distinguishes this initiative is its emphasis on regulatory integration and environmental oversight, areas where infrastructure development in Africa has often lagged. The collaboration between Puma and RSK demonstrates the value of embedding HSSE from the earliest stages, rather than treating it as an afterthought.
From a policy perspective, the project aligns with Tanzania’s national energy diversification agenda and supports the goals of the Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative (AGII), which advocates for bankable, climate-aligned industrial infrastructure. It also reflects principles underpinning the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), particularly the need for clean energy solutions that can support regional trade, logistics, and manufacturing hubs.
Looking ahead, Puma Energy has signalled plans for further CNG expansion in Tanzania. For now, CNG dispensing is expected to begin at the two retail stations in the near term.
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The question for policymakers elsewhere on the continent is whether this model—small-scale, modular, and environmentally governed—can be adapted to other contexts, particularly where transport decarbonisation remains a high-cost undertaking.
As Africa navigates its energy transition, projects like this one will be closely watched—not just for their technical success, but for how they integrate sustainability, safety, and long-term viability in a complex and rapidly evolving energy landscape.
