Energo Tanzania: The homegrown pioneer leading the nation’s CNG revolution
The Energo Mother Station at Mwenge in Dar es Salaam is directly connected to the national gas pipeline and has the technical capacity to serve up to 1,000 vehicles per day.
In the heart of Tanzania’s bustling commercial capital, a silent but powerful shift is taking place. While the world grapples with volatile oil prices, a 100% Tanzanian-owned company is looking inward, tapping into the nation’s vast natural gas reserves to power the future of transport.
Energo Tanzania Limited, established in 2008, has evolved from a visionary engineering firm into a cornerstone of the country’s transition to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
At the helm of this transformation is the Managing Director of Energo, Engineer Kahema Mziray, whose journey with natural gas began long before it became a national priority.
“I’m an engineer. Done this myself, I’ve seen my first gas in 1996,” Eng. Mziray recalls, reflecting on his decades of experience that eventually led to Energo becoming a pioneer in the local CNG sector.
A technician at Energo Tanzania Limited’s speciliazed Conversion Centre peforms a dual-fuel system installation on a local vehicle.
A Legacy of innovation
Energo’s history is rooted in technical excellence and a commitment to local content. Although founded in 2008, the company truly catalyzed the CNG market in 2018/2019 when it began introducing advanced conversion technologies in partnership with local institutions like the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT).
Today, Energo is a fully EWURA-compliant specialist, holding registration number LSSP-2023-4-1810 as a local service provider. The company’s operations are an “integrated solution” to natural gas needs.
Beyond merely installing kits, Energo designs gas systems, supplies certified equipment like compressors and dispensers, and constructs refueling infrastructure.
Their flagship station along the Mwenge-Coca Cola Road stands as a testament to this capacity, serving between 500 and 600 vehicles daily, with the technical potential to serve up to 1,000 cars per day.
The facility is a direct-connect Mother Station, meaning it is linked directly to the national natural gas pipeline for continuous supply without the need for trucked-in gas. The station also is designed for both online refueling (direct to customer vehicles) and feeding satellite or daughter stations across the region.
The Managing Director of Energo Tanzania Limited, Eng. Kahema Mziray.
The site hosts a fully equipped On-site CNG Conversion Centre that retrofits cars, bajajis, and large commercial fleets six days a week. The infrastructure is 100% EWURA-compliant (Registration No. LSSP-2023-4-1810) and built according to international engineering safety practices.
It features high-performance gas compressors and certified dispensers, ensuring fast and safe refueling processes. To maintain high-pressure delivery, the station utilizes gas-powered generators to run its heavy-duty compressors, ensuring reliability even during power fluctuations.
Energo appreciate and thank the management and the team of CRDB bank, who accepted the project and financed the equipment acquisition and made this project a success story!
“We urge all other Tanzanian financing partners to come up and support the ‘clean energy’ initiatives driven by local entrepreneurs.”
Comprehensive CNG solutions
Energo’s service portfolio is built around the “end-to-end” journey of natural gas utilization. Their core service, CNG Vehicle Conversion, allows petrol or diesel engines to be retrofitted into dual-fuel systems.
This process, which typically takes only one to two days, ensures that vehicles can switch between traditional fuel and CNG seamlessly. For Eng. Mziray, the choice to use gas is a “game changer” for the economy.
A state-of-the-art gas compressor at Energo Tanzania Limited’s flagship Mother Station located at Mwenge in Dar es Salaam.
“This is our natural resource. It’s not imported, and of course, we also save forex because we don’t import it,” he emphasizes.
The economic benefits for the individual are equally staggering. Data from Energo indicates that users can save up to 70% on fuel costs.
A driver spending Sh 100,000 weekly on petrol could see that expense drop to approximately Sh 35,000 when switching to CNG, allowing high-mileage users to recover their conversion investment within 12 to 18 months.
Strategies for a greener tomorrow
Energo’s vision extends far beyond the borders of Dar es Salaam. The company has laid out a robust strategy to expand “up-country,” targeting regions like Morogoro, Tanga, Moshi, Arusha, and Dodoma.
Recognizing the distance limitations of CNG, Energo is also looking into Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) technology for long-haul trucks, which Eng. Mziray notes is more capital intensive but vital for national logistics.
Furthermore, the company is innovating in independent power supply, using gas-run generators to power their own heavy-duty compressors, thereby reducing operational costs and ensuring reliability.
In a move to make this technology more accessible, Energo recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Equity Bank Tanzania. This partnership provides short-term asset financing of up to 12 months, allowing vehicle owners to convert their cars without the burden of a large upfront payment.
While significant, this financing is just one part of Energo’s broader mission to empower Tanzanians.
A Cleaner Future
Environmental stewardship remains at the core of Energo’s operations. CNG-powered vehicles emit 20% to 30% less CO2 than their fossil-fuel counterparts, significantly improving urban air quality.
As the company continues to grow, its motto remains its guiding light: “Cleaner energy for a cleaner future”
As Eng. Mziray puts it, “This is our energy. This is a game changer. This is a safer energy. This is a real clean energy”.
With its technical expertise and strategic foresight, Energo Tanzania is not just a participant in the energy sector; it is the architect of a more sustainable Tanzanian economy.
