South Africa is making progress with expanding its oil and gas sector, with 15 projects currently in the pipeline from between 2023 and 2027.
Covering the entire energy value chain, these projects are expected to help the country maximize its estimated 27 billion barrels of crude oil and 60 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves on the south, west and east coasts for energy security, affordability and decarbonization.
Richards Bay III: 2023
A $6 million oil storage facility is currently under construction by Vopak Reatile Terminal Richards Bay Pty Ltd to help boost the country’s energy storage capacity. The facility is expected to hold 94,347 barrels of crude oil (bbl), with plans to become operational before the end of 2023.
Nelspruit Oil Storage: 2024
With a final investment decision having being made for the 188,694 bbl storage facility, Petroline Holdings is expected to commission the Nelspruit oil storage facility in 2024. Located in Nelspruit, the $12 million project is expected to expand South Africa’s energy infrastructure while maximizing job creation and the exploitation of local and regional energy resources to meet the country’s growing energy demand.
Amersfoort Field Development: 2024
Afro Energy Pty Ltd in partnership with the Industrial Development Corporation will commence the drilling of wells and the development of associated gas in the Amersfoort region for industrial, commercial, transportation and power generation applications. Through an investment of $10.5 million, the two firms are expected to produce up to 500 million standard cubic feet (mmscf) per annum from the 20 wells drilled in the region.
Amersfoort Gas Processing Plant: 2024
The Amersfoort gas-to-power project will include the use of gas produced from Amersfoort town in Mpumalanga province to power a containerized generator which will be integrated with national utility Eskom’s power grid as from 2024. The project will be implemented in in phased in partnership with Vutomi Energy, with the first stage targeting 1 MW of output which will be increased by 500% in the third stage.
E-BK Field Development: 2024
Located in Block 9, E-BK is a conventional gas development currently in the FEED stage and located within South Africa’s shallow waters. Operated by the Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa, the project is expected to be operational by 2024 with an output capacity of 21,667 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed). The field was discovered in 2015.
Virginia Phase 2: 2025
The Virginia Phase 2 project comprises a field expansion set to be carried out by Tetra4 Pty Ltd, and will result in the injection of $900 million in investment. Once operational in 2025, the project will produce 3,792 boed.
Ibhubesi Field Development and Gas Processing Facility: 2025
Located on Block 2A in the Orange Basin of South Africa, the Ibhubesi Gas Project is a conventional gas development being carried out by Sunbird Energy. The $1,411 million development includes the installation of a Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel to recover gas from over 14 wells.
Once operational in 2025, the project will leverage an onsite gas processing plant to enable the supply of processed gas to potential buyers including Eskom’s Ankerlig Power Station, independent power producers and industrial consumers. According to Sunbird Energy, the field has approximately 8 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, making it South Africa’s largest independently developed gas initiative.
Port of Ngqura Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Project: 2025
Operated by the Coega Development Corporation, the Port of Ngqura Floating Liquefied Natural Gas project will include the installation of a floating storage and regasification unit, gas-to-power infrastructure, cryogenic pipelines and terminal for the processing, storing, on-site exploitation and distribution of gas acquired from the country’s on– and offshore fields to meet local and global demands. The $400 million project is expected to be operational by 2025 and will help stabilize the country’s energy network through the supply of electricity on the national grid.
