At the inauguration of LPG Expo 2024 (an exhibition of companies producing and selling cooking gas), which took place this Wednesday (17) in Maputo, the government recognised infrastructure as the main obstacle to the mass use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in the country. With a firm commitment, the Executive assured that it will expand the structures needed for a more equitable distribution of this energy resource.
During his speech at the opening of the exhibition, the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Carlos Zacarias, emphasised the vital role of the first LPG refinery, due to come on stream this year, in reducing import costs and promoting clean energy.
“With an annual production capacity of 48,000 tonnes, this venture will be a key part of achieving our goal of providing access to cooking gas for around four million people (800,000 families) within five years,” he stressed.
The minister emphasised that the refinery will make use of natural gas from Inhambane province, in the south of the country, complementing the vast reserves located in Cabo Delgado, in the north, which are among the largest in the world.
Complementing the minister’s speech, Moisés Paulino Muhimua João, the national director of Hydrocarbons and Fuels, emphasised the need to reduce dependence on biomass – materials that can be obtained from firewood – and to encourage the use of LPG, a cheaper and cleaner alternative. “We’re already seeing an increase in interest, both on the part of companies and the population, in using this fuel,” he noted.
This first LPG exhibition in Southern Africa, and the second in East Africa, has brought several investors from the sector to the country to discuss sustainable and safe energy alternatives. The two-day event was marked by productive debate sessions and the presentation of the latest innovations in the LPG sector.
