Kudu Gas
Field
Namibia is considered to be one of Africa’s major
developing economies. It is seen as an indicator of Africa’s growing economic
clout in the world economy. To aid in its development comes the Kudu Gas Field,
an offshore gas field, in Orange sub-basin. Discovered in 1974, the license to
exploit these resources have been held by a number of companies including Royal
Dutch Shell and Energy Africa. “The field's proven natural gas reserves are
estimated at 1.3 trillion cubic feet and possible reserves at nine trillion
cubic feet. The field's life is estimated to be 22 years” (Offshore technology).
“Another transformational energy development is
Namibia’s Kudu Gas Field and Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) Project, which
is due to open by 2018. The country’s first large-scale power plant seeks to
exploit domestic resources by developing the offshore Kudu field’s estimated
1.3 trillion cubic feet of gas. The 800 MW power plant will add much needed
domestic generation capacity to limit imports and tackle a‑widening energy
deficit. Gas will be delivered through a 170 kilometre pipeline, enabling
Namibia to become a net exporter of energy and reduce its dependence upon South
Africa. National power utility Nampower selected China’s Shanghai Electric as
preferred bidder to finance 49‑percent of the US$1.1 billion project as well as
provide international expertise” (KPMC).
