South Africa moves to unlock offshore gas, boost energy resilience

South Africa plans to accelerate domestic gas development and LNG import infrastructure as the country faces a tightening supply outlook, Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe said at the G20 Africa Energy Investment Forum on Nov. 21.

South Africa currently sources about 90% of its natural gas from Mozambique via the ROMPCO pipeline. With Mozambique’s Pande and Temane fields set to reduce exports as operator Sasol shifts volumes to its own facilities from mid-2026, the government is moving to secure new supply options.

“We will continue to develop infrastructure to integrate new deposits and avail gas to South Africa,” Mantashe said. “The biggest solution is us — having access to our own gas deposits.”

Two import projects remain central to the near-term strategy: the Matola FSRU in Mozambique, expected online by mid-2026, and South Africa’s Richards Bay LNG terminal, scheduled for 2027. Officials are also advancing plans for new pipeline connections to move future offshore volumes—particularly from the Orange Basin—into the domestic grid.

Mantashe said regulatory reforms are needed to unlock offshore exploration and advance stalled onshore prospects in the Karoo basin. The minister pointed to recent Orange basin activity, including the Brulpadda and Luiperd discoveries, as evidence of the region’s potential to offset declining imports and stimulate economic growth.

“We have no legal restriction on oil and gas exploration and exploitation in South Africa,” he said. “If we make a breakthrough on oil and gas, our GDP will grow exponentially. Our people will never breathe fresh air in darkness.”

The government views expanded gas supply as essential for stabilizing power generation, bolstering industrial output, and reducing exposure to volatile LNG markets.

Image and news coverage from African Energy Chamber