The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Max Tonela, assured on Friday the country's commitment to export carbon-free natural gas, using technologies that curb emissions of pollutants by oil companies.

"The government decided to embark on a process of decarbonization of gas. Although we have a gas that has little emissions content, we are betting on the use of decarbonization technologies that already exist, worldwide," said Max Tonela.

Tonela was speaking to journalists about the future of fossil energy in the face of growing global concerns about climate change.

The governor advanced that the oil industry has developed technologies that make it possible to remove the carbon from the gas and return the pollutant to the source, aiming to export a clean product.

Max Tonela said that Mozambican natural gas has little "pollutant content" and will be instrumental in the decommissioning of coal-fired power plants used in southern Africa and other countries around the world, as part of the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.

"We are going to see an increase in the consumption of gas, because it is, among fossils, the one that pollutes the least, and we are also going to see an accelerated increase in renewable energies, which are still an intermittent source," said the minister.

With its "enormous gas reserves," Mozambique wants to be an active player in decarbonization, using that resource for the economic development of the country, southern Africa, and other countries, he added.

Lusa Agency