Lubezine Magazine Vol. 9 April - June 2014 | Page 19

Rapid geothermal energy development
promises fresh opportunities as the equipment
require specialized lubrication solutions

PLANT LUBRICATION

Geothermal
development in
Africa promising
new market boom
for lubricants

T

he growing number of geothermal
energy development projects in
Africa is introducing new market
opportunities for lubricant marketers
and manufacturers, with the need to satisfy
the increasing thirst for specially-formulated
lubricants for use in the maintenance of
geothermal equipment and machinery also
arising. This rapid development has been occaBy Hesborn
sioned, partly, by the region’s unprecedented
Nyakundi
economic growth and industrial development
in recent years as African economies grow fast,
putting a strain on current energy supplies, with power demands
rising in tandem with both industrial and population growths.
In spite of political instability in a few countries here, the prevailing political stability in most countries in the region can also be
credited for inspiring the influx of foreign investors to Africa, keen
to invest in various economic sectors in the continent, among them
geothermal energy development.

Surging energy needs
It is projected that Africa is set to experience the world’s fastest
regional energy demand growth, driven by urbanization, rising
populations, and a steady GDP growth, calling for the expansion of
power generation initiatives in the continent to maximize energy
outputs so as to satisfy the emerging needs.
But given hydropower’s ever-dwindling sufficiency and rising
unreliability, most economies are increasingly findi