Natural gas is the ideal transition fuel choice, says Ghana Gas CEO
Natural gas is the fossil fuel family member with the lowest carbon count, hence, the most appropriate candidate as a transition fuel towards global de-carbonisation
The chief executive officer of the Ghana National Gas Company, Dr Ben Asante has pin-pointed “natural gas” as the ideal transition fuel for Ghana due to its low carbon emission and the cost involved.
Ghana is known for heavily relying on thermal plants to generate electricity.
Speaking at the just-ended roundtable discussion on ways to approach transitioning to gas, Dr Asante highlighted the atmospheric impact of partaking in the global energy transition.
“The atmospheric impact is another factor driving our transitioning to gas. So as we transition from the fossil fuels to renewables, we have to be discriminatory”.
Dr Asante also mentioned that Africa needs to look within itself to raise financing for capital projects and build the requisite intellectual capacity during the energy transition period.
“Trying to prolong your transition will be a good idea. But you have to recognize the challenges that you’ll be facing and they’re very discernable in Africa. We don’t really have the investment capital; we also don’t have the intellectual capital.
“So we want to prolong the transition and we need the requisite infrastructure, we need the requisite funding. We have to lean on ourselves for that fund” Asante said.
For his part, the chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy, Samuel Atta-Akyea said investing in the energy sector will boost the fortunes of the economy.
“We as a nation truly understand we paying full attention to energy because I’ve come to some conclusion that if we should ever pay attention to energy, our fortunes will turn around, that’s my sense of it”.
“I am of the humble view that in fact if we’re paid about 30% attention to the energy sector, we wouldn’t have gone to the IMF.”
“What the energy sector portends for this country and our future, we’re playing with it”, Atta-Akyea added.
Meanwhile, the roundtable discussion was on the theme; Embracing new Gas Markets in the Energy Transition discourse, the Role of Stakeholders brought together key stakeholders and experts in the energy sector to brainstorm on ways to transition to gas.
Reporting by Clankson Acheampong in Accra
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