WATCH 🎥 | Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, visited the Kinetiko/Afro Energy onshore gas fields near Ermelo, Mpumalanga this morning to evaluate the site’s potential for enhancing the country’s natural gas supply. The visit is part of the Minister’s deliberate actions to unlock domestic gas production and put South Africa on a path towards domestics gas security and possible export to the global market. The visit centered on the Brakfontein farm, which currently hosts 15 gas wells across a 5,377 km² site with significant expansion potential. The project has a potential to enable domestic gas supply for South Africa, thus reducing reliance on import and improving domestic gas security. Afro Energy plans to produce first gas by quarter 4 of 2027, the timing of this production could also contribute towards averting the emerging gas cliff, anticipated in 2030. The tour assessed the infrastructure required to support future gas-to-power projects, commercial gas usage, and explored strategies for integrating this potential energy into the national grid to bolster security of supply and increase export opportunities. This visit aligns with the Department’s efforts to modernize South Africa’s energy landscape. The proposed Gas Bill, currently before Parliament, aims to repeal the outdated 2001 Gas Act. By introducing a framework that reflects modern technological advancements in gas transportation and storage, the new legislation seeks to resolve existing enforcement challenges and align South Africa’s gas resource management with global best practices. It augers well that the policy work on the Gas Master Plan by the Department also considers domestic resources, Afro Energy production field is one of the domestic gas resources identified in the GMP as a potential to increase domestic production. The plan (GMP) will be published for public comments as the Department processes it for final approval, by March 2027.