Maputo, Mozambique, 10 Jan – Mozambican oil and gas import company Importadora Moçambicana de Petróleos (Imopetro) plans soon to launch an international public tender to select a new supplier of cooking gas in Mozambique, the company’s managing director, Manuel Braga said.

Speaking to Mozambican daily newspaper Notícias, Braga also said that the tender would be launched within the next few days given that the current contract with South African company Engen is due to end in February, and the new supplier would have to start operating on 1 March.

The director of Imopetro also said that the tender would take place only because the contract between Mozambique and Engen was coming to an end and had no link to recent problems with gas supplies faced by the company which, if it wishes, may compete for the tender again.

Official figures point to sales of around 60,000 bottles of cooking gas, mainly in the municipal areas of Maputo and Matola, between 6 and 31 December, 2010. (macauhub)