By Janeth Mesomapya

The Board of Directors of the Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority (PURA) has met and held a meeting with the top officials of Shell and Equinor companies which are main partners (including the Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) on behalf of the Government) in the implementation of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project.

The meeting, held today, October 25, 2021 in Dar es Salaam, aimed to discuss how best to implement the LNG project, which is prior to the resumption of the Host Government Agreement (HGA) negotiations between the Government and project partners.

According to the Chairman of the Board, Professor Gasper Mhinzi, the session was intended to enhance awareness of board members about the project and the benefits of its implementation.

"During this session these companies have done presentations aimed at expanding understanding of board members on how the project will be mutually beneficial between the Tanzanian Government and investors," he said.

Professor Mhinzi added that the session was not about making any decisions but rather focused on thoroughly understanding the project to improve its implementation.

Vice President and Resident Chairman of Shell, Jared Keuhl said it is important for all stakeholders to cooperate and ensure that in these final stages of the project preparation there is transparency in all decisions being made.

"Although the window of preparation is closing, we want to get it right this time, we want to have transparency throughout the process, we appreciate that it’s a negotiation but we want it to be partnership discussion,” Keuhl added.

The session is a continuation of preparations for HGA negotiations between the Government and partners of the LNG project which is expected to officially resume on November 8, 2021.

The LNG project, which will be overseen by PURA, is estimated to be worth approximately USD 30 billion. It is expected to create 6,000 direct jobs and more than 15,000 indirect jobs for Tanzanians.