WBS hosts first Natural Gas Symposium
- Wits Business School
Stakeholders from the oil and gas industry attend this much-anticipated conversation on the status of natural gas supply in South at the Wits Business School.
Hosted by the School’s African Energy Leadership Centre (AELC) in partnership with the Industrial Gas Users Association of Southern Africa (IGUA-SA), the Natural Gas Symposium was attended by nearly 300 people representing all parts of the gas and energy value chain, from upstream and exploration to industrial end-user; infrastructure financers to regulatory bodies and policy makers.
The AELC organised the symposium in response to the looming ‘gas cliff’, a possible shortage of natural gas because of the approaching end-of-lifespan of South Africa’s main sources of gas - the Pande-Temane gas fields in Mozambique. Such a shortage will severely impact the country’s energy security and industrial competitiveness, as well as put thousands of jobs on the line, according IGUA-SA.
“A gas supply shortage would put approximately 60 000 direct jobs at risk as many industries that depend on gas could face operational shutdown. These jobs are in key industrial sectors that rely on natural gas and methane-rich gas, including steel, glass, ceramics, automotive, food, beverage, pulp and paper, to name but a few. Natural gas shortages would also adversely affect the viability of many SMMEs which are key enablers for new job creation and poverty alleviation,” says Jaco Human, CEO of IGUA-SA.
Professor David Phaho, Director of the AELC, notes that all efforts to address potential natural gas shortages must take into consideration the just energy transition and South Africa’s climate change commitments in line with the Paris Agreement.
“While natural gas is a fossil fuel, it has a lower carbon footprint compared to other energy sources such as coal and oil derived products and as such, we believe it can serve as an effective transition fuel towards a zero-carbon economy that we are aspiring to. Natural gas alongside renewable energy resources can assist in our just energy transition,” says Phaho.
The Minister of Electricity and Energy Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa provided the opening address before six panel discussions got underway to address opportunities and challenges in the upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas sector, as well as fiscal frameworks, the policy and regulatory environment, and research and innovation, before a crucial final discussion on way forward.
The purpose of the symposium was not only to unpack the current state of play, but to engage with all stakeholders to find solutions quickly and efficiently, says Professor Maurice Radebe, Head and Director of Wits Business School.
“We are facing a very serious situation in South Africa, and so it is critical that we gather all key stakeholders and move beyond blame shifting to find real solutions for once and for all, and I believe the symposium has highlighted the sense of urgency.”
In closing the symposium, Prof Phaho said: “As Wits Business School we are committed to ensuring that we develop a compact in collaboration with academia, science councils, government departments, state-owned entities, and the private sector, toward a well-functioning gas sector in South Africa.”
雷速体育_雷速体育直播 the African Energy Leadership Centre (AELC)
The AELC was formed in 2017 and is the first of its kind in Africa. The Centre equips future leaders to manage the multiple challenges in the energy sector, including the transition to cleaner technologies and a just energy transition. It aims to address the issue of a lack of scarce skills to help Africa reach its full economic potential. The AELC has established itself as a respected thought leader in energy issues providing a platform for public debate and discussion. It has developed cutting-edge academic programmes in energy leadership: a Master of Management and a Postgraduate Diploma in Energy Leadership.
For more information, please visit 雷速体育_雷速体育直播 Us - African Energy Leadership
雷速体育_雷速体育直播 Wits Business School
Wits Business School (WBS) is the graduate school of business administration of the University of the Witwatersrand, a renowned research institution based in Johannesburg, the financial heart of southern Africa. Founded in 1968, WBS is one of the oldest and most respected business schools in Africa, which has spearheaded new areas of study to take the next generation of African business leaders into the future.
The enduring ‘Wits’ brand, recognised internationally, continues to symbolise academic rigour, research excellence and thought leadership on the African continent.
For more information, please visit www.wbs.ac.za.