Page 8 - AfrElec Week 18 2022
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AfrElec COAL AfrElec
Mozambique to continue
mining coal - senior
government official
MOZAMBIQUE MOZAMBIQUE will not abandon coal mining Vales said the country has a programme to
despite the need to reduce carbon emissions as it transition from coal through the development
is a key part of its economy, a senior government of less non-polluting generation. It is promoting
official has said. investment in hydroelectric stations and natural
Mozambique will not abandon coal mining gas-fired capacity.
despite the need to reduce carbon emissions as it Mozambique has up to 180trillion cubic feet
is a key part of its economy, a senior government of recoverable natural gas whose extraction will
official has said. begin at a more substantial scale when a project
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of being developed by a consortium led by Eni of
Mineral Resources and Energy, Teodoro Vales, Italy comes online in the second half of 2022. All
speaking at a seminar on energy transition in the project’s production will be sold to BP.
the southern African country, said the switch According to Vales, Mozambique targets to
to cleaner energies by 2030 as mandated by the produce 600MW more of electricity by 2024,
United Nations, must be relevant to conditions 400MW of which will be gas-fired and 200MW
in the nation. through a combination of solar, wind and hydro.
“A lot is said about abandoning coal,” said “For example, in the area of solar power,
Vales, as cited by AIM, the national news agency we have invested in a 40MW solar station in
on Thursday (April 28). “But right now, coal Mocuba, 40MW in Metoro and 30MW in
is the major contributor to the balance of pay- Dondo”, he said. “These are just the solar stations,
ments, and in second place we have the heavy but there are also hydro-electric stations”.
mineral sands. So we cannot abandon these Contributing to the same discussion “The
sources from one day to the next, because the Challenges and Opportunities for Promoting
necessary conditions must be in place for us to an Inclusive Energy Transition in Mozambique”,
do this.” Petroleum and Gas Chamber of Mozambique
Mozambique is one of southern Africa’s official Florival Mucave said that the transition
more significant coal producers. Reports say at to renewable energies from fossil fuels is a global
the end of 2016, the country had 25.6bn tonnes imperative.
of the resource, mainly in Tete Province in the The chamber, AIM reports, argues that there
centre-west. Major operations include Moatize, should be a wide-ranging discussion in Mozam-
which is operated by Jindal of India, and Benga, bique on the theme of energy transition, bring-
owned by the International Coal Ventures of ing together the government, private business
India. Some of the coal is used locally, but large and civil society, in order to produce a harmo-
volumes are exported to Asia through Nacala nised vision to take to the next climate summit,
Port. to be held in Egypt later this year.
P8 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 18 05•May•2022
