Page 4 - AfrOil Week 45 2022

AfrOil COMMENTARY AfrOil

(Photo: Twitter/@COP27P)
Russia-Ukraine conflict brings

African gas into focus at COP27

Europe’s urgent need for fuel ahead of winter has made African natural gas reserves a key topic,

even as some observers push African countries to ignore gas completely in favour of renewables

THE geopolitical scene has changed dramati- global energy policies should take the African
cally over the last year, largely due to the disrup- continent’s needs into consideration rather than
WHAT: tions and realignments that have resulted from focusing solely on the requirements of Western
Africa’s gas reserves Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. countries.
have drawn much more One of the attendees at the COP27 interna- It is perhaps no accident that the person
attention at COP27 than tional climate conference in Sharm El Sheikh, who made this point is an African – and, for
at the last international Egypt, marked the shift earlier this week by that matter, the citizen of an African country
climate summit. noting that even the premises of the ongoing that is slated to become a supplier of LNG to
discussions about the coming energy transition Europe once it commences gas production. The
WHY: had changed. country’s first commercial gas project, Greater
The energy landscape The talks are now taking demand for natu- Tortue/Ahmeyim (GTA), is slated to come on
has changed as a result
of Russia’s invasion of ral gas and other fossil fuels into account rather stream next year and will deliver most of its pro-
Ukraine. than focusing narrowly on renewable energy, he duction to European buyers in the form of LNG.
was quoted as saying by Devex.
WHAT NEXT: “Last year [at COP26], no one dared to [talk] European eyes on African gas
The discussions at COP27 about fossil fuel or natural gas. The position has Senegal is hardly the only African country that
are not likely to settle changed. Because there is a war in Europe, the has been courted by European countries eager
the gas vs. renewables [mood] has changed,” said Papa Samba Ba, a to find new suppliers to replace the Russian oil
debate. technical advisor with Senegal’s Ministry of and gas they have stopped receiving since the
Petroleum and Energies. He went on to say that outbreak of war in late February.

P4 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 45 10•November•2022