Power Sector Growth without Liquefied Natural Gas

The document examines how countries in the Global South can achieve energy access and economic growth by leveraging clean energy instead of relying on liquefied natural gas (LNG). Using South Africa and Vietnam as case studies, it suggests that renewable energy is increasingly competitive and that gas power plants supplied by imported LNG will play a smaller role in affordable grid expansion than previously assumed.

• Renewable energy is becoming more competitive, while natural gas faces challenges due to the global energy crisis, challenging its previous status as a priority for least-cost generation expansion.
• Case studies of South Africa and Vietnam demonstrate that prioritizing renewable energy investments in the near term can reduce both financial costs and risks compared to relying on new gas power plants that necessitate new LNG import infrastructure.
• The role of imported LNG in affordable global grid expansion is likely to be significantly smaller than previously assumed, prompting a need for decision-makers to re-evaluate planned investments in gas power and LNG capacity.

APA

RMI (2022). Power Sector Growth without Liquefied Natural Gas. https://rmi.org/resources/power-sector-growth-without-liquefied-natural-gas/

Chicago

RMI. Power Sector Growth without Liquefied Natural Gas. 2022. https://rmi.org/resources/power-sector-growth-without-liquefied-natural-gas/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Power Sector Growth without Liquefied Natural Gas |date=2 November 2022 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/power-sector-growth-without-liquefied-natural-gas/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2022power, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Power Sector Growth without Liquefied Natural Gas}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/power-sector-growth-without-liquefied-natural-gas/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }