Petrochemical giant Sasol, in partnership with Mozambique State-owned power utility Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), on Thursday inaugurated Mozambique’s first permanent large-scale gas-to-power facility in Ressano Garcia.
Natural gas would be supplied to the new 175 MW Central Termica de Ressano Garcia (CTRG) power plant, in which Sasol owned 49% and EDM 51%, from the Sasol-operated central processing facility (CPF), in Temane, in the Inhambane province.
The gas-fired power plant, which was expected to reach beneficial operation in October, would supply electricity to more than two-million Mozambicans, contributing 23% of the country's current demand.
“Despite Mozambique's extensive hydrocarbon resources, EDM is experiencing an electricity deficit which necessitates importing power. CTRG will help enhance the country's energy self-sufficiency and will also help to diversify our energy base,” EDM chairperson Augusto Fernando de Sousa commented.
Sasol noted that, in conjunction with its partners, it had spent about $3-billion in capital investments, including on the development and expansion of the CPF and natural gas fields in southern Mozambique, the construction of a cross-border pipeline, and the completion of the CTRG gas-to-power project.
“By working together with our Mozambican and South African partners, we are well-placed to unlock the ultimate potential of Mozambique's hydrocarbon resources in an integrated and sustainable manner, which will benefit not only the country but the broader region,” Sasol president and CEO David Constable said.