The International Energy Agency (IEA) highlighted this Friday that 25 million Africans have been left without electricity since the start of the pandemic and stressed that a few natural gas terminals would be enough to supply the entire continent in 2030.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis that followed put an end to ten years of progress in Africawhere 600 million people currently live without electricity, according to the IEA’s “Africa Energy Outlook 2022” report.
Compared to 2019, “4% more Africans live without electricity”IEA director Fatih Birol told Agence France-Presse news.
According to the IEA, Increasing energy efficiency and expanding electricity networks and generation from renewable sources are the foundations of the continent’s energy futurethe IEA stressed.
Africa has 60% of the world’s solar resources, but has only 1% of photovoltaic installations, less than the Netherlands, underlines the document on energy prospects in Africa.
Renewable energyincluding wind, geothermal and dam-generated power, should constitute 80% of the installed electrical capacity by 2030for both energy and climate goals, defended the IEA.
But it will be necessary to “double the investment”, said Birol. Currently, “Africa receives only 7% of the financing for green energy that advanced economies make available to developing countries,” he lamented.
This issue of access to energy could be resolved by the end of this decade with an annual investment of 25 billion dollars. [23,7 mil milhões de euros]the amount necessary to build a new liquefied natural gas terminal each year”, said the director of the AIE, emphasizing that this investment is feasible.
The IEA highlighted the potential role of natural gas, on a temporary basis, to produce agricultural fertilizers, cement and drinking water from seawater.
“Africa accounts for less than 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. If this gas were to be explored, it would be less than 3.5%, although [o continente] they have 20% of the human population,” Birol said.
On the other hand, the global transition to green energy is promising, not only because of Africa’s solar potential, but also because of industrial opportunities linked to growing demand for metals and hydrogen, the IEA said.
Source: Observadora
