Firms sign Sh1 billion pact for checks on natural gas conduit

Dar es Salaam. Maurel and Prom Exploration Production Tanzania Ltd (M&P) yesterday signed a Sh1 billion contract with Solutions Tag Consulting Company Ltd to inspect the internal condition of a key natural gas pipeline.

The inspection activities of the 800-metre gas pipeline that picks the gas from the production areas of Mnazi Bay, Mtwara to the processing facility operated by M&P, will determine the fitness of the pipeline to continue with operations, according to M&P general manager Nicolas Engel.

Mnazi Bay produces 50 percent of Tanzania’s natural gas to power over 30 percent of the country’s electricity generation.

“The inspection work, whose actual execution will take four to six months, will also include inspection and cleaning of a 27-metre pipeline that transports gas from the Mnazi Bay’s gas processing facility to the M&P’s natural gas receiving centre,” Mr Engel told a press conference.

Solutions Tag managing director Peter Kichogo said the activities in question will be conducted through an ‘Intelligent Pigging’ process.

He said they will undertake an inspection technique whereby an inspection probe is propelled through a pipeline while gathering important data, such as the presence and location of corrosion or other irregularities on the inner walls of the pipe.

“Intelligent pigging has become of paramount importance in the management of pipeline integrity,” asserted Mr Kichogo. This, he added, serves as the foundation for a pro-active maintenance programme to safeguard against the consequences of failures.

“Oil and gas is a sensitive sector. We need to be proactive in anticipating things before they happen,” said Mr Kichogo.

He added: “This is important in safeguarding the interest of the public against harms which may be caused by a pipeline failure.”

Mr Kichogo said checking the internal of the pipeline will help M&P to make managerial decisions.

“What next after the intelligent pigging will depend on the condition of the gas pipeline,” he responded to a question posed by The Citizen.

He went on to explain: “If internal condition of the pipeline is in a good shape, then transportation activities will continue as usual, and if there is some minor corrosion, they will be repaired.

If the internal condition is in critical condition, he explained, then the gas pipeline will have to be changed.

Until June last year, more than 125 billion cubic feet of natural gas had been extracted from five wells at Mnazi Bay gas production site in Mtwara Region in the last 16 years of operation.