Sasol and the Central Energy Fund (CEF) have signed a MoU to collaborate on accelerating the development of gas solutions in South Africa
Gas is a significant contributor to South Africa’s energy mix and its importance is expected to grow. Key focus areas will include future gas supply options, as well as enabling infrastructure critical to sustain and grow the gas market. Both companies will explore developing multiple low-cost gas import locations around the country.
“Gas is instrumental in enabling a just energy transition in South Africa and requires immediate attention to introduce additional supply to South Africa. Currently, the country’s gas supply comes from the Pande-Temane gas fields in Mozambique, which will need to be supplemented in the long term, as these reserves begin to mature,” said Sasol executive vice-president for energy business Priscillah Mabelane.
Preliminary global benchmark case studies indicate that countries experiencing growth in demand for gas have opted for increasing the number of import locations to serve regional markets via pipeline. A successful example is India, which currently has six liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in operation, with another four currently under development to become operational by 2023. This approach has significant potential for socio-economic development around these import locations.
Both Sasol and CEF have dedicated resources, overseen by a senior level steering committee, to collaborate in exploring options to develop and expand the southern African natural gas market.
