ENERGY Deputy Minister Judith Kapinga has said that the ministry will in the 2024/25 financial year expand the connection of liquefied petroleum gas (LNG) for household consumption in upcountry regions from Dar es Salaam.

Kapinga revealed the plan yesterday at the National Assembly premises when she graced the launch of the Energy Sector Exhibition Week 2024.

“The ministry will in the next financial year fast track the connection of LPG in households, especially those closer to Dar es Salaam, Lindi, and Mtwara where we had started for the past four years,” said Kapinga.

According to her, the exhibitions are meant to allow legislators to directly deliver energy connectivity concerns and challenges that people from their provinces face so that they can be timely addressed.

The exhibition brings together all institutions under the ministry.

Northern Muleba MP Charles Mwijage hailed the ministry for connecting households in his province to electricity by over 95 percent.

“The current agenda in my province is convincing the public to make a swift shift to consuming liquefied petroleum gas and biogas from the ordinary energy sources of charcoal and firewood,” said Mwijage.

According to him, a shift from ordinary energy sources calls for a change of mindset rooted in culture and people’s behaviour.

Mwijage went further to argue that the country shouldn’t be lagging in shifting to the consumption of compressed natural gas (CNG) for vehicles.

According to him, Tanzania should have started shifting from the consumption of petroleum products as energy sources for vehicles over the past twenty years.

“Though it is too late for us to start shifting, I’m not satisfied with the speed that the government itself is going by in this transformation;

I could expect that the majority of government-owned vehicles should have been transformed to consuming CNG,” said Mwijage.

Mrisho Gambo, Arusha Urban MP said that through the energy sector exhibition, he has been able to get feedback from TANESCO and other institutions under the ministry on demands that he has been seeking answers.

“In Arusha, we have been facing challenges related to electric poles and a shortage of transformers. I’m glad that respective authorities have shared with me their work plan that shows the challenges will be addressed starting with the current financial year,” said Gambo.

According to him, there are several wards in the province whose residents have not been connected to electricity such as Lumoti, Muyeti, Olasiti, and Sinoni though plans are underway to get such areas connected.