South Africa legislates for oil and gas future
The Ramaphosa government proposes new rules amid increasing global competition for IOC’s capital
The South African government published its long-anticipated draft oil and gas legislation on Christmas Eve, hoping it will usher in a new era of exploration and production. To combat the country’s energy deficit, it must pave the way for the rapid development of substantial recent discoveries, including Total’s huge Brulpadda field last February, and prospects. The domestic economy provides marketing potential to a range of potential industrial offtakers as well as new gas-to-power projects. Challenging offshore conditions, transportation to market issues, the global glut and historically low prices of gas—as well as the financial woes of potential anchor customer Eskom—dull the outlook. It

Also in this section
23 May 2025
LNG projects need the certainty of long-term contracts, but Henry-Hub–linked deals put buyers at significant risk
22 May 2025
Industry says compliance is near-impossible and have called for more clarity to prevent cargoes being redirected
22 May 2025
The next energy crisis could come from the severing of the link between oil and gas prices, with potentially severe economic consequences
22 May 2025
With contract awards looming on the Kuwait-Saudi backed Dorra field, the long-stalled gas project appears finally to be gaining traction—despite Iranian objections