La Ruée pour le Gaz Africain

This December 2022 report by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the expansion of gas infrastructure in Africa, highlighting a significant imbalance where investments are heavily skewed toward export terminals rather than domestic energy access. The report warns that the surge in interest driven by Europe's need to replace Russian gas creates a high risk of 'stranded assets' and diverts funding from renewable energy and local electrification.

• There is a massive disparity between investments for LNG export terminals and those for domestic gas-to-power projects. Of the estimated $103 billion in planned LNG terminal investments, 92% are for export terminals, which is expected to increase the continent's LNG export volume by 111% from the current 79.3 million tonnes per annum (mtpa).
• The majority of planned pipeline infrastructure in Africa lacks funding and remains in the study phase. Out of 23,932 km of pipelines in development, only 1,872 km are currently under construction. The total estimated investment needed for these pipelines is $89 billion, but only $4 billion has been allocated to sites already under construction.
• Gas-fired power generation is dominated by North Africa, with Egypt being the largest consumer and producer of gas-to-power on the continent at 51,608 MW. While 109.2 GW of gas power capacity is currently operational across Africa, there is a significant funding gap for new projects: $52.3 billion of the estimated $62 billion required for new plants is for projects still in the study phase.
• Nigeria is a central hub for gas development, leading in both pipeline construction (1,427 km) and planned LNG export capacity (24 mtpa). However, despite its production status, Nigeria faces inadequate electricity generation capacities and a population electricity access rate of 51%.
• The report identifies a critical risk of 'stranded assets' due to the temporary nature of European interest in African gas following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This risk is exemplified by SASOL withdrawing from the African Renaissance Pipeline project due to energy transition concerns, although Chinese banks have since expressed interest in financing it.
• There is a stark contrast between the focus on gas exports and the lack of investment in domestic renewable energy. Only 2% of global renewable energy investments over the last two decades have been directed toward Africa, despite 600 million people (43% of the population) lacking electricity access.

APA

Juta, C., Joly, J., & Langenbrunner, B. (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, and Baird Langenbrunner. 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 |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}, 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} }