https://www.engineeringnews.co.za
Africa|Coal|Energy|Gas|LNG|Petroleum|Ports|Power|transport|Trucks|Power Generation|Power-generation|Infrastructure
Africa|Coal|Energy|Gas|LNG|Petroleum|Ports|Power|transport|Trucks|Power Generation|Power-generation|Infrastructure
africa|coal|energy|gas|lng|petroleum|ports|power|transport|trucks|power-generation|power-generation-industry-term|infrastructure

LPG expected to fill Africa’s energy demand gaps in a renewable future

11th June 2021

By: Simone Liedtke

Creamer Media Social Media Editor & Senior Writer

     

Font size: - +

With the world increasingly becoming focused on decarbonisation, World Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Association chairperson Christoph Reimnitz says the African continent’s decarbonisation journey cannot be compared with that of all other countries.

He explains that while most countries in the northern hemisphere have reached electrification of 100% of their populations many decades ago, most countries across Africa and, more specifically, sub-Saharan Africa, are not yet close to achieving that goal.

For example, Senegal only had 18% of its rural areas electrified by 2018, he points out.

The issue, therefore, is how the continent can increase its electricity penetration but do so in a less-environmentally damaging way, Reimnitz says.

He notes that sub-Saharan Africa can “avoid some of the mistakes, or take better evolutionary steps”, than developed countries and “start electrification with cost competitive renewables without having to invest in carbon intensive fuels, such as coal” first.

Electricity from renewables is, however, intermittent, which means there is the risk of no electricity when the sun does not shine or when the wind does not blow. It is for this reason that Reimnitz stresses the need for dispatchable power, or power that is available on demand.

Considering that dispatchable power is likely to come from fossil fuels, Reimnitz notes that a relatively clean and affordable option would be to consider a liquid fuel option, like gas, or more specifically, LPG.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure is available in about 42 countries across the world, compared with LPG which is available in about 130 countries – nearly four times that of LNG.

The reason for this, Reimnitz explains, is that LPG is widely used as a household gas, for cooking, among others, being brought into countries and stored before transport to distribution centres and local households.

“We already have LPG infrastructure almost everywhere in Africa and its being used for cooking. It should be used for power generation as a natural gas because it’s so similar to LNG,” he comments, urging people to consider using LPG and “leveraging the existing infrastructure”.

This, he elaborates, will allow the continent to leapfrog the energy transition because it allows the continent the opportunity to bypass the complicated and expensive planning processes, and the need for additional investment, that would be experienced if the dispatchable power being considered were LNG.

LPG, although a gas, is similar to diesel in that costs are added every time it has to be shipped as a fuel source.

Diesel in Africa, Reimnitz adds, comes through Africa’s ports, from where it is stored and transported by truck – the same would happen with LPG. “Because LPG is widely used as a household gas, there are trucks available today in almost every country to transport LPG”.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

Comments

Showroom

Immersive Technologies
Immersive Technologies

Immersive Technologies is the world's largest, proven and tested supplier of simulator training solutions to the global resources industry.

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Showroom image
Alcohol Breathalysers

Supplier & Distributor of the Widest Range of Accurate & Easy-to-Use Alcohol Breathalysers

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.079 0.134s - 176pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now