Gas in the pipeline

South Africa country is already an importer of LNG from Mozambique, as well as energy produced on the border at Ressano Garcia.

WSP provided design co-ordination services and supervision during the plant construction and commissioning for the Ressano Garcia 100MW power generation project, which harnesses gas resources in Mozambique for power production.

This important resource is able to play a crucial role in helping the continent meet its electricity access targets without contributing significantly towards greenhouse gas emissions.

Hot on the heels of Mozambique’s gas plays are Kenya and Tanzania, which both have very ambitious plans to harness LNG. However, their governments are still grappling with the policies that are needed to promote the development of a vibrant gas industry.

Nigeria, Algeria, Angola, Egypt and Equatorial Guinea have garnered more experience in this field. In 2014, these countries exported 41.5 billion m3, 14.6% of the world’s exports of LNG.

It will take time for all of these, and others such as South Africa, Namibia and Malawi, to fully exploit the advantages of LNG, which currently stands at about 152.33 trillion m3. This is considering that the continent is expected to be home to 104.4 billion m3, which is 25.6% of the world’s LNG capacity.

The emergence of a gas industry in South Africa looks promising; in the foreseeable future we hope to see large scale LNG and power infrastructure being developed under the Department of Energy’s LNG to Power Independent Power Producer Programme. These projects should also create good growth opportunities in the downstream manufacturing and services sectors.

From an environmental and social perspective, the generation of employment and socio-economic upliftment is a much needed outcome. Whilst this type of industrialisation will not be without environmental challenges, South Africa’s environmental policy and regulatory framework provides a sound basis for ensuring that development is carried out sustainably.