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•Unveil decarbonisation strategy for Africa
By Adewale Sanyaolu
The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) has raised the alarm over the massive waste of gas resources in Nigeria and other parts of the African continent, saying the development will hurt the economy of the continent if not urgently addressed.
The SPE also revealed that it is equipping its members with the knowledge and strategies needed to drive the decarbonisation of Africa’s petroleum industry, amid the global push for energy transition.
The organisation emphasised that reducing carbon emissions from fossil fuels is crucial for leveraging the continent’s energy resources to foster sustainable development while ensuring affordability and accessibility.
Africa Regional Director of SPE, Mr. Riverson Oppong, stated this at the debut edition of the Oilda Fireside Chat platform hosted in Lagos recently.
The group, while lamenting the massive resource waste in the Nigerian petroleum industry, noted that poor infrastructure and low industrial capacity have resulted in the utilisation of only a very small fraction of produced gas.
He noted that petroleum remains the most available energy source to drive the continent’s industrial development.
Oppong, however, called on African governments to accelerate the industrialisation of their economies to create useful applications for the continent’s vast natural gas resources.
The petroleum engineers also decried the massive drift of Africa’s skilled labour from the continent, warning that the mass emigration of youths is creating deep skill shortfalls in building local capacity for domestic industrial development.
Oppong, who was in Nigeria for the chat, stated that resilient demand for oil and gas across the globe has made it crucial to deploy technology in addressing the industry’s carbon footprint, adding that the net-zero mantra in the global climate campaign currently indicates a shift in focus from energy transition to energy transformation.
He explained that the campaign for energy transition is shifting focus from demand migration from fossil fuels to the decarbonisation of the industry.
The Oilda Fireside Chat is an executive media platform that provides an opportunity for industry leaders to share experiences and perspectives on crucial issues in the emerging energy landscape.
He stressed that the campaign for energy transition is increasing production pressure on the continent as African governments hasten to derive full economic benefits from their petroleum resources.
The situation, according to him, challenges professionals in the industry to evolve technologies and practices that align with the demands for decarbonisation.
Oppong, who hails from Ghana, said his country is currently pursuing its clean energy programmes as a matter of cost efficiency, stressing that Ghana’s petroleum industry is designed to avoid wasting even a molecule of gas.
He pointed out that green energy technology has not yet attained the capacity and efficiency levels required to accelerate Africa’s industrial and economic development, noting that petroleum remains the best option to achieve Africa’s energy security.
According to him, green energy sources like solar and wind are still highly vulnerable to weather conditions and thus would not adequately power homes, businesses, and industries.
He stated that some of the challenges to resource valorisation in the continent are related to policy and commercial issues, adding that the global quest for energy transition has made it urgent for African producers to deemphasise exports and use petroleum energy to accelerate industrial development.
In response to the challenges of resolving skill flight and evolving technological innovations to serve Africa’s energy future, Oppong stated that SPE Africa has initiated a move to set up an advisory board of experts from the continent to assist in articulating innovative strategies that would address the prevailing energy deficits.
Part of the objectives, he said, is to champion innovations that would decarbonise the petroleum industry in a cost-effective and economically beneficial manner, adding that carbon capture and storage, for instance, have proven useful for reservoir engineering.
The SPE chief stated that the group’s learning programmes for African professionals have recorded over 600 virtual events, allowing professionals to share innovations and expertise on SPE’s platforms across the continent.
The virtual learning events, Oppong stated, are separate from the group’s “Energy 4 Me” programme designed for students of colleges and universities across Africa. He also mentioned SPE’s “PetroWiki” website, which, he stated, currently records over a million daily visits.
He stressed that SPE is committed to closing the skill gaps created by an ageing workforce and the mass emigration of African youths.
He also blamed the mass emigration of African youths on leadership failure in the continent, maintaining that labour flight has created a huge gap in the continent’s talent pool.
