French upstream company Maurel & Prom has announced a significant new gas discovery at the MB-5 well within the Mnazi Bay permit in southern Tanzania — a find poised to reverse a production decline and inject fresh momentum into the country’s gas-led development strategy.
The MB-5 well has been on production testing since 29 March 2026, demonstrating a production potential of approximately 40 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd). The well alone is expected to lift total Mnazi Bay field capacity to 130 mmcfd — a near-80 percent increase that could significantly strengthen Tanzania’s domestic gas supply and export positioning.
The discovery is particularly timely. Maurel & Prom’s Mnazi Bay operations recorded a 4 percent production decline in 2025, with output averaging 59.8 mmcfd in the first nine months of the year. The MB-5 result is expected to reverse that trajectory.
The well was completed in just 41 days — ahead of the planned 47-day schedule and without major interruptions — highlighting both improved drilling efficiency and favourable development conditions in the basin.
The MB-5 well forms part of a broader three-well drilling campaign that also includes the MS-2 development well and the Kasa-1X exploration well, aimed at unlocking additional reserves across the Mnazi Bay field. The basin is estimated to hold gas reserves of 290 billion standard cubic feet.
The discovery reinforces Tanzania’s wider strategy to scale exploration and monetise its estimated 57 trillion cubic feet of natural gas resources. The country is prioritising increased drilling activity in the Mnazi Bay North, Eyasi Wembere and Songo Songo West basins as part of its 25-year oil and gas market strategy.
Source: Energy Capital & Power