Introduction

Natural gas reserves were discovered in the vicinities of Songo Songo Island in 1974, Mnazi Bay in 1982, and Mkuranga in January 2007. Of the three, Songo Songo and Mnazi Bay have been producing since July 2004 and December 2006 respectively. The certified proven reserves range from 680 Bcf for Songo Songo to 129 Bcf in the case of Mnazi Bay reservoir. Mkuranga needs time to assess and determine whether the discovery is of commercial value or not. Exploration for hydrocarbons promises more discoveries of natural gas and crude oil in the region.