Gas to liquids no panacea

PETROSA says it is "looking for opportunities" after its bid for a gas-to-liquid (GTL) project in Algeria was cancelled due to rising costs. Noting "the pressure of demand over existing supply in South Africa… we are stepping up exploration around this region, in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia and Tanzania," according to a spokesman. Wait a minute. PetroSA is a wholly-owned government company. It already has interests in Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Sudan. Surely, taxpayers' money should be better spent on our inadequate liquid fuels infrastructure, rather than on foreign ventures of dubious prospects. Judging from shutdowns caused by its inability to run its Mossel Bay plant properly, any spare PetroSA money should rather also be spent on jacking up efficiency closer to home.