The governments of Mozambique and Namibia on Wednesday, June 10, called for the creation of regulatory frameworks to reduce methane emissions in the oil and gas sector in the Southern African region.
The position was expressed in Luanda during the closing session of the “Regional Workshop on Mitigation of Methane Emissions in the Oil and Gas Sector,” which brought together representatives from Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries and international partners.
According to Angop, Namibia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy inspector, Andreas Sheehama, said his country is in a learning and preparation phase ahead of future oil production, noting that the government is working on laws and policies to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
Sheehama added that Namibia aims to benefit from the experience of oil-producing countries such as Angola, in order to strengthen the legal and institutional framework of its oil and gas sector.
Mozambique’s representative from the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, Casimiro Tembe, said the country has recently approved a new Petroleum Law that introduces stricter rules for managing and controlling emissions in the sector, stressing that gas flaring is only permitted in exceptional cases and with government authorization.
Tembe added that Mozambique intends to integrate methane emission regulations into a broader legislative package, noting that investments are underway to use natural gas for electricity generation, cooking gas, fertilizers, and industrial development, in order to reduce dependence on imported fuels.
Recently, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that methane emissions from fossil fuels remain “very high” and could free up to 200 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually in global markets.
In its report, the agency stressed that proven mitigation measures could represent twice the volume of natural gas that passes each year through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been partially blocked by Iran since February 28, following attacks on Tehran by the United States and Israel.
Record production of oil, coal, and gas in 2025 accounted for 35% of human-caused methane emissions, with an estimated total of 124 million tonnes, according to the IEA.
In the context of the current energy crisis, worsened by tensions in the Middle East and disruptions to liquefied natural gas supply, the agency emphasizes that reducing methane emissions could strengthen energy security.
The report states that the adoption of relatively simple measures could quickly release approximately 15 billion cubic meters of gas.
Source: Diário Económico
