La Ruée pour le Gaz Africain

The report highlights a significant imbalance in African gas infrastructure, where investments are heavily skewed toward LNG export terminals rather than domestic electricity generation. With an estimated $245 billion in total gas infrastructure investments underway or planned, the document warns of 'stranded assets' as the world transitions to clean energy and European demand fluctuates. It details the current and projected capacities of LNG terminals, pipelines, and gas-fired power plants, noting that while countries like Nigeria, Mozambique, and Tanzania pursue massive export projects, they continue to face severe domestic electricity shortages.

• Investments in LNG export terminals vastly outweigh those for domestic power generation. Of the estimated $103 billion for LNG terminal projects, 92% is directed toward export facilities, which is expected to increase the continent's LNG export volume by 111% from its current 79.3 million tonnes per annum (mtpa).
• The majority of planned gas pipeline projects lack funding and remain in the study phase. Out of 23,932 km of pipelines in development, only 1,872 km are under construction. The total estimated investment needed is $89 billion, but only $4 billion has been allocated to sites already under construction, leaving $85 billion in the proposal stage.
• Gas-fired power generation in Africa is currently dominated by North African countries, with Egypt as the largest consumer, operating 51,608 MW of capacity. While 64.1 GW of additional capacity is planned, only 10.5 GW is currently under construction.
• There is a stark contradiction between the pursuit of massive gas export projects and low domestic electricity access rates in the countries leading these developments: Tanzania (40%), Nigeria (51%), and Mozambique (31%).
• The report warns that the current rush for African gas, driven by Europe's need to replace Russian gas following the invasion of Ukraine, creates a high risk of 'stranded assets' and diverts necessary investment from renewable energy and domestic energy access.

APA

Juta, C., Joly, J., Langenbrunner, B., Martos, J., & Zimmerman, S. (2022). La Ruée pour le Gaz Africain. Global Energy Monitor. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Scramble-for-Africas-Gas_FR_11.pdf

Chicago

Juta, Christine, Julie Joly, Baird Langenbrunner, Jenny Martos, and Scott Zimmerman. La Ruée pour le Gaz Africain. Global Energy Monitor, 2022. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Scramble-for-Africas-Gas_FR_11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Juta |first1=Christine |last2=Joly |first2=Julie |last3=Langenbrunner |first3=Baird |last4=Martos |first4=Jenny |last5=Zimmerman |first5=Scott |title=La Ruée pour le Gaz Africain |publisher=Global Energy Monitor |date=December 2022 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Scramble-for-Africas-Gas_FR_11.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{juta2022rue, author = {Juta, Christine and Joly, Julie and Langenbrunner, Baird and Martos, Jenny and Zimmerman, Scott}, title = {{La Ruée pour le Gaz Africain}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2022}, month = dec, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Scramble-for-Africas-Gas_FR_11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }