Sunbird Energy will supply gas to South Africa’s power company Eskom to run its Ankerlig power station
State-owned Eskom, which supplies about 95 per cent of electricity to the African economy, is battling to meet electricity demand and has to rely heavily on diesel-powered turbines to keep the lights on.
Sunbird Energy said in a statement that its Ibhubesi Gas Project (IGP) in South Africa would supply the power station with 850mn cu/m of gas a year for up to 15 years.
Ankerlig has an installed capacity of 1,350MW and has been using diesel since it was constructed in 2007.
IGP, a joint venture between Sunbird Energy and South Africa’s national oil company PetroSA, is South Africa’s largest undeveloped gas field.
“The supply of Ibhubesi gas to Ankerlig will allow Eskom to realise significant fuel cost savings,” added the company.
The firm, which owns 76 per cent of the IGP, said that the deal will encourage further exploration and development of gas in the offshore Orange Basin, located 280 km from Cape Town, covering 5,000 sq km.
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