DAR ES SALAAM, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's Songo Songo natural gas block is currently producing an average of 84.7 million cubic feet of gas per day, with a total of 12 wells drilled to date, a senior official said Tuesday.

Salome Makamba, the deputy minister of Energy, told parliament in the capital Dodoma that the Tanzanian government, through the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation, has drilled nine wells, while Pan African Energy Tanzania (PAET), a private firm, has drilled three wells at the offshore gas block.

Makamba said that production at the gas block is aligned with current demand levels and continues to bolster the country's energy and industrial sectors.

She added that the government is negotiating with PAET on a potential extension of the current natural gas development license, which is scheduled to expire in October 2026.

According to Makamba, the talks aim to ensure uninterrupted production at the gas block, one of Tanzania's primary sources of natural gas for electricity generation and industrial use.

The Songo Songo natural gas block is Tanzania's first commercial gas project, playing a critical role in national energy security by supplying gas to power generation facilities in the commercial hub of Dar es Salaam. ■