CNG station power outage triggers massive queue

Dar es Salaam. A power outage at a major refuelling station near Julius Nyerere International Airport has left thousands of natural gas-powered vehicles and Bajajis struggling to refill, leading to long queues and extensive delays at the remaining Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations in the city.

The outage at the TAQA Delbit station along Nyerere Road just close to the Julius Nyerere International Airport has forced drivers to flock to the only two other CNG stations in Dar es Salaam, located at Tazara and Ubungo.

The increased demand has overwhelmed the stations, with the Tazara station, which has only a single pump, experiencing a queue stretching over 300 meters.

Drivers reported waiting up to 12 hours to refuel, with some even sleeping at the stations in the hope of securing service.

A Bajaji driver, Anthony Sylvester, said he had been at the Tazara station since 7:00 AM and still hadn’t been served by noon.

“Many of us are at risk of facing penalties from loan providers because we can’t make our daily repayments,” he said.

A Bolt taxi operator, Mr Hamis Chusi, shared similar frustrations. “I’ve been here since yesterday, and it’s affecting my income significantly. On a normal day, I could have made more than Sh50,000 in just six hours, but now I don’t even have money to buy food,” he said.

The disruption has caused widespread concern among the 5,000-plus vehicles that have been converted from petrol to CNG in Dar es Salaam, highlighting the city’s limited infrastructure for natural gas refuelling.

The station near the airport, which has multiple pumps and can handle a large number of vehicles, is crucial to the system’s smooth operation.

The Gas Business Manager at the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC), Mr Emmanuel Gilbert, confirmed that the outage was caused by a power-related equipment failure at the Airport station.

He assured that the issue would be resolved soon and service would resume by the evening.

Meanwhile, Anric Gas Technology Tanzania Company Limited, which operates the Tazara station, is struggling to meet the increased demand.

Station manager Jenister Joseph stated that they typically serve 300 cars a day, but the number has surged due to the airport station outage. She acknowledged the challenges posed by the single pump at the Tazara station and confirmed plans to install an additional pump by the end of the year.

To address the growing need for CNG infrastructure, TPDC announced in August the construction of a large “mother station” along Sam Nujoma Road, expected to be completed by December.

The station will accommodate over 1,000 vehicles and serve as a hub for additional substations, including planned locations at Muhimbili National Hospital and Zegereni, to alleviate pressure on existing facilities.

The recent outage has reignited calls for the government and stakeholders to expedite the expansion of CNG infrastructure to keep pace with the growing number of gas-converted vehicles in the city.

In August this year, the government, through the deputy minister for Energy, Ms Judith Kapinga, told the Parliament that TPDC would procure mobile CNG filling stations to address the challenge of insufficient filling stations in the country.

She said for the 2024/25 fiscal year, the government, through TPDC, would construct two CNG stations in Dar es Salaam at the University of Dar es Salaam and the Muhimbili National Hospital and another one at the Kairuki Pharmaceuticals located in Kibaha Zegereni in the Coast Region.