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Johannesburg - The Republic of Mozambique Pipeline Investments Company (Rompco), a joint venture between Sasol, Companhia Mocambiçana de Gasoduto and South African Gas Development Company (iGas), plans to expand the 865km gas pipeline that transports gas from Mozambique to South Africa.
The US$210m expansion entails the installation of a pipeline parallel to the existing one from scraper station 1 (STS1), which is about 128km from the Central Processing Facility (CPF) at Temane, Mozambique, over a length of 127km where it connects back into the main pipeline at scraper station 2, Sasol said in a statement on Monday afternoon.
The expansion project will increase Rompco’s gas transmission capacity. Planned to come into operation early in 2017, it will initially transport gas to South Africa, but will be able to serve additional markets in Mozambique and South Africa, as gas becomes available, Sasol said.
Rompco owns the pipeline through which the gas purchased from Mozambique is transported to South Africa and to Ressano Garcia in Mozambique. During the construction phase, the project will create employment opportunities for approximately 700 Mozambicans, largely from communities in close proximity to the project.
“As we continue to invest in Mozambique, this project further deepens our commitment to skills development, while creating employment opportunities through our activities,” Rompco General Manager Louis Bosch said.
Rompco said the expansion of the pipeline was an indication of its commitment to investing in the development of Mozambique’s infrastructure and using local suppliers. These projects are aimed at addressing the increasing energy demands of the rapidly expanding Mozambican economy – one of the fastest growing on the African continent – which is seeing electricity demand growing by approximately 14% annually, it said.
“Over the last decade, Rompco has contributed to the development of Mozambique and its people through enabling the monetisation and utilisation of gas. We continue to prioritise programmes and strategic partnerships aimed at improving the quality of life for the people of Mozambique and unlocking further socio-economic development in Mozambique,” Bosch said.
