Zimbabwe announces 'major' gas discovery at exploration well

Zimbabwe has announced gas discovery at an exploration well in the northern Cabora Bassa Basin.

The scale of the discovery in unclear, but Australia-listed Invictus Energy said it was one of the most significant developments in the oil and gas industry in onshore southern Africa in many decades.

The firm has been exploring oil and gas in northern Zimbabwe and owns the majority share in the project.

"It also marks the first Triassic-aged hydrocarbon discovery in Sub-Saharan Africa," Invictus Energy Managing Director Scott Macmillan said.

The discovery is expected to be a game changer in the country's quest to become energy-sufficient.

Zimbabwe's mines minister said the discovery will unlock the potential of the country's oil and gas resources and change its economy.

"This is a gas discovery, we have not yet confirmed the discovery of oil as further explorations, tests and evaluations are still ongoing," Soda Zhemu said in a statement.

It comes at a time when there are increased calls for the world to gradually shift from fossils to renewable energy.

But Critics have pointed out that while the calls for the adoption of cleaner energy are noble, a rushed phase-out of fossils will disadvantage countries like Zimbabwe that are yet to industrialize.

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