PURA commended for overseeing gas drilling operations

DODOMA: The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy responsible for Petroleum and Gas, Dr James Mataragio, has commended the Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority (PURA) for successfully supervising the implementation of a natural gas drilling project in the Mnazi Bay Block in Mtwara Region.

Dr Mataragio made the remarks on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, after receiving a progress briefing during his visit to PURA’s pavilion at the Energy Week exhibitions taking place at the Parliamentary grounds in Dodoma.

Briefing the Permanent Secretary, PURA’s Head of Local Content and Stakeholder Engagement, Charles Nyangi, said that one of the three planned wells has already been drilled, while drilling of the second well is ongoing.

“Under PURA’s supervision, drilling of the first well (MB5) was completed successfully and on time. The well has undergone testing and has been brought into production, with a capacity of about 40 million cubic feet per day,” he said.

According to Dr Mataragio, this output has increased natural gas production from the Mnazi Bay Block from an average of 90 million cubic feet per day to about 130 million cubic feet per day.

He further noted that PURA is continuing to oversee drilling of the second well (MS-2), with progress advancing well. As of April 20, 2026, more than 1,400 metres had already been drilled.

Dr Mataragio expressed satisfaction with the authority’s performance in regulating and overseeing upstream petroleum activities, including exploration, development and production projects such as the ongoing Mnazi Bay gas drilling initiative.

He added that PURA has set a new milestone in the country’s gas sector, noting that after a decade, Tanzania is now witnessing the drilling of new natural gas wells.