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Gas a key enabler for Africa’s energy transition – Wärtsilä

Wärtsilä Director: Growth and Development, Africa and Europe Louis Strydom speaks to Engineering News at the Africa Energy Forum in Cape Town. Camerawork and Editing: Miko Moodley.

17th June 2026

By: Mariaan Webb

Creamer Media Contract Publishing Editor

     

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Africa's energy transition should focus not only on adding renewable energy capacity, but also on replacing the continent's extensive and costly diesel-based generation fleet, says Wärtsilä director of Growth and Development for Africa and Europe Louis Strydom.

Speaking to Engineering News at the Africa Energy Forum in Cape Town, Strydom said small-scale diesel generation remains widespread across Africa despite being one of the most expensive forms of power generation.

He argued that gas has an important role to play in supporting renewable energy growth by providing the flexible generation needed to balance increasingly variable power systems.

Strydom said attracting gas infrastructure investment will require sufficient demand and policy certainty, while financing mechanisms should focus on enabling infrastructure across the entire energy value chain.

He added that governments, financiers and industry stakeholders need to assess energy transition requirements at a system level rather than on a project-by-project basis to ensure affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity supply.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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