Qatar Eyed as LNG Supplier to Prevent South Africa’s Gas Cliff
- State power utility Eskom, Sasol seek to aggregate supply
- Nation faces gas-supply ‘emergency’ that puts jobs at stake
South Africa is racing against the clock to source alternative gas supplies as it faces a drop-off when fields in Mozambique curb production in 2027.
Photographer: Karim Jaafar/AFP/Getty ImagesQatar is a leading candidate to supply liquefied natural gas to South Africa as power utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. and Sasol Ltd. collaborate to get the fuel from new sources before its main supply drops off in 2027.
The Gulf state “is top of the food chain” to sell LNG to Eskom and the chemical and fuel manufacturer due to its rich gas reserves, Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said at a briefing in Johannesburg Friday. Qatar — which plans to boost LNG shipments more than 80% by 2030 — has expressed interest to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in working together, the minister said.