Africa has a significant and growing gas resource, but gas capability on the continent is disappointingly low, says Quantum Power founding partner Dr Louis van Pletsen.
He told delegates attending the Africa Gas Forum, in Johannesburg, on Monday, that, although there were large hydro and geothermal resources in Africa, they were few in number and regionally clustered.
“The world is moving away from oil and coal generation and headed towards gas and renewables,” he added.
He stated that gas was increasingly becoming the fuel of choice owing to its efficiency and was also the cleanest form of thermal fuel available.
“Africa may lag this trend, however, owing to affordability and available fuel resources,” he said.
Van Pletsen stated that coal-fired power generation was expected to remain significant for Africa, as it was low in cost, and Africa, especially South Africa, had large coal reserves and an existing fleet.
“It is important to find the right fuel mix for power generation in Africa. The continent has 16% of the world’s land mass but produces only 2.4% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) and only 2% of the world’s electricity,” he said.
He noted that gas resources were not yet being applied to develop sub-Saharan Africa and that the continent, as a whole, exploited its gas reserves less intensely than the rest of the world.