Zambia has approved two major cross-border pipeline projects as Public-Private Partnerships, cementing a strategic shift from reliance on a single import corridor to a diversified multi-route supply model that its planners hope will permanently anchor the country’s energy security.
The Tanzania-Zambia Multi-Products Pipeline will run parallel to the existing 1,710-kilometre TAZAMA pipeline from Dar es Salaam to Ndola, a route jointly operated by both countries since 1968. While TAZAMA currently transports roughly 800,000 metric tons of diesel annually, the new pipeline will carry multiple finished products — including petrol, jet fuel, and kerosene — at an annual capacity of 7 million metric tons. Feasibility studies put the project’s cost at nearly $2 billion. Zambia’s fuel consumption is projected to reach 3.7 million metric tons per year by 2030, and TAZAMA’s new Open Access Policy, introduced in April 2025, has already cut pump prices by roughly 33% by allowing multiple oil marketing companies to compete for pipeline capacity.
The second project, the Namibia-Zambia Refined Petroleum and Natural Gas Pipeline, will connect the Atlantic-facing port of Walvis Bay to Lusaka, carrying both refined petroleum products and natural gas. The gas component is designed for power generation applications in Zambia, with a projected capacity of 350 million cubic feet per day.
The pipeline is set to benefit from Namibia’s emerging upstream oil sector. TotalEnergies is targeting a Final Investment Decision on the offshore Venus field in the first half of 2026, with first production expected between 2029 and 2030. Galp’s Mopane field, estimated to hold up to 1.1 billion barrels of recoverable resources, is also entering an appraisal campaign in 2026 under TotalEnergies operatorship.
The approvals come as a broader wave of regional infrastructure projects nears maturity. The East African Crude Oil Pipeline reached 79% completion in December 2025, with first oil exports targeted for October 2026. Tanzania broke ground on a $273 million fuel storage expansion at Dar es Salaam port, adding 36% oil receiving capacity and cutting vessel wait times from 22 days to seven. The Lobito Corridor, linking the DRC and Zambia’s copper belt to Angola’s Port of Lobito, has attracted over $6 billion in commitments, with Zambia’s rail segment set to break ground in early 2026.
Source: energycapitalpower.com