Photo courtesy of Arbyreed via Flickr. As Russia threatens to halt its natural gas exports to the EU, European leaders have turned to African countries, such as Senegal, for energy sources.
By Lily Benn ’24
Staff Writer
Much of Europe is facing a natural gas shortage, and will continue to feel the economic and social effects of this shortage through the gas storage refilling period in summer 2023, according to an International Energy Agency article. The article explains that this shortage is due to a halt in pipeline deliveries from Russia. The New York Times reported that because of this loss, Europe must find new sources of natural gas and oil, and has already begun searching.
Beginning in September, many European leaders have sought African economic and governmental assistance in sourcing natural gasses. This included the president of Poland meeting with the Senegal government to form new gas deals, according to The New York Times. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also went to Senegal in search of the same thing, telling the German Parliament that there are possibilities of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while still working together with countries with new gas field options, The New York Times reported. Italy has also begun to set up new exports of natural gas from Mozambique directly to Europe through Eni, one of the world’s largest energy companies.
Many African officials highlight issues with this search for new opportunities by European governments. Historically, there has been a rarity of funding from Western governments in renewable energy transitions in Africa up until last year, The New York Times reported. Akinwumi Adesina, the president of the African Development Bank, as well as other African leaders, expressed that there is a disparity between the actions of European countries now and their behavior throughout recent history, and that it took a war “thousands of miles away” to give African countries a place in bargaining over energy deals, The New York Times said. Amani Abou-Zeid — the African Union’s commissioner for energy and infrastructure — stressed that only months ago, European governments were pressuring the same African countries they are now asking for help with the fossil fuel scarcity to expend less fossil fuels and begin the switch to renewables. It has been expressed by many of these representatives that the expectation to switch to renewable energy was not helpful, as Europe has not extended funding to these countries, which already contribute little to the world’s fossil fuel emissions, according to The New York Times.
ABC News reported that European Union governments are pushing for at least a 15 percent reduction in gas consumption over this coming winter. Europe is a large emitter of greenhouse gas, while a majority of African countries’ — not including the country’s few biggest emitters — combined emission amounts are less than individual contributions from some of Europe’s smaller countries such as Greece, according to The New York Times. Additionally, if all of Africa’s countries developed their gas reserves, this would only increase their contribution to global fossil fuel gas emissions by 0.5 percent, the article said.
According to The New York Times, the Congolese president reported that the country did not plan to endanger vital environmental sites, but was entitled to using its gas and oil, explaining that the United States and European countries have been historically following this same course of action. Additionally many African leaders have expressed that it is economically important, especially if European countries want to exploit Africa’s gas reserves, that funding for African gas projects begins soon, the article said. The article goes on to explain that these projects need to be mindful and directed towards African economic development, not simply to satisfy Europe’s fossil fuel needs.