The scramble for Africa’s gas

The document analyzes a planned US$245 billion expansion of gas infrastructure in Africa, highlighting a significant imbalance where investment in LNG export terminals and pipelines far outweighs investment in domestic power generation. It warns that these projects, often driven by Europe's short-term energy crisis following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, risk becoming stranded assets while failing to address low electricity access in countries like Nigeria, Mozambique, and Tanzania.

• Planned investment in LNG terminals is estimated at US$103 billion, with 92% of that capital expenditure dedicated to export terminals. This expansion would increase the region's LNG export capacity by 111%, from 79.3 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), but is expected to do little for continental electrification.
• The planned gas pipeline buildout in Africa requires US$89 billion in investment, though the vast majority remains in the proposal stage. Only US$4 billion is attributed to projects under construction, while US$85 billion is for proposed projects. Nigeria leads in construction with 1,427 km, while South Africa and Mozambique lead in proposed pipelines with 4,792 km and 4,352 km respectively.
• Investment in gas-fired power plants for domestic use is significantly lower than export infrastructure, with a total estimated requirement of US$62 billion. Only US$9.7 billion is for projects under construction, while US$52.3 billion is for proposed projects. Nigeria and South Africa have the highest estimated investment needs at US$21.2 billion and US$16.3 billion respectively.
• There is a stark gap between gas export ambitions and domestic energy access. For example, Tanzania has announced a US$40 billion LNG export project despite only 40% of its population having electricity access; Nigeria has 51% access, and Mozambique has 31%.
• Africa's current gas-fired power generation is dominated by North Africa, with Egypt being the largest consumer and operator of gas plants at 51,608 MW. Across the continent, there are 109.2 GW of operating gas-fired power plants.
• The drive for African gas is largely a response to Europe's need to replace Russian gas, creating a high risk of stranded assets once the energy crisis abates. This focus competes with the necessary investment in renewable energy to achieve universal clean energy access.

APA

Juta, C., Joly, J., & Langenbrunner, B. (2022). The scramble for Africa’s gas. Global Energy Monitor. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Scramble-for-Africas-Gas_11.pdf

Chicago

Juta, Christine, Julie Joly, and Baird Langenbrunner. The scramble for Africa’s gas. Global Energy Monitor, 2022. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Scramble-for-Africas-Gas_11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Juta |first1=Christine |last2=Joly |first2=Julie |last3=Langenbrunner |first3=Baird |title=The scramble for Africa’s gas |publisher=Global Energy Monitor |date=December 2022 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Scramble-for-Africas-Gas_11.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{juta2022scramble, author = {Juta, Christine and Joly, Julie and Langenbrunner, Baird}, title = {{The scramble for Africa’s gas}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2022}, month = dec, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Scramble-for-Africas-Gas_11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }