TotalEnergies mulls early production at S African find (Update)
(Adds details of GE report)
TotalEnergies (TE) and its partners at Block 11B/12B off South Africa are considering an early production system to develop gas and condensate at the Luiperd discovery, one partner Africa Energy reported on June 8.
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Block 11B/12B is situated in the Outeniqua basin some 175 km off South Africa's south coast and contains the Brulpadda and Luiperd discoveries, made by TE in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Africa Energy said it was "very encouraged" by the prospect of an early production system.
"The accelerated development timeline could significantly decrease the required capital expenditures to reach first production from block 11B/12B, which has existing nearby gas infrastructure and demand" the company said. "The development of the Paddavissie Fairway will have positive implications for the South African economy and will be critical in facilitating the country's energy transition away from coal through a domestic natural gas supply."
TE operates 11B/12B with a 45% stake, while Qatar Petroleum has 25%, CNR international 20% and South African consortium Main Street 10%. Africa Energy owns 49% of Main Street. South Africa is hoping that the discoveries can be used to bolster dwindling domestic gas supply.
RE + gas = speedy decarbonisation: GE
Both renewable energy and gas-fired power are needed if power-cut-prone South Africa is to make substantial progress in combating climate change in the near-term, according to a June 8 report by turbine manufacturer GE.
Neither power source will be sufficient alone but deployed in tandem they can provide decarbonisation at the pace and scale needed to achieve substantial climate goals.
"Reliable gas technology solutions and renewable energy sources will make investments economically sound for immediate emissions reductions and we believe that gas will not just be a back-up fuel but will be the new baseload capacity for the coal repurposing national programme," it said.
About 4–6 GW of power is needed in the near term to ease current electricity constraints and the country aims to add about 20 GW of additional power with renewables and gas in the long term. Research shows South Africa's energy mix will evolve to include greater amounts of renewables, even as coal remains the dominant fuel beyond 2040.