Chapter 603 Energy Issues
What Ernst talked about is the approximate development path, which will definitely change according to the situation in East Africa. In fact, regarding the development of the automobile industry, a new problem cannot be avoided, that is, road construction.
Now that cars have appeared, road construction in East Africa must be put on the agenda. In the past, many roads have been built in East Africa, especially in the east, and the road density is already comparable to that of some European countries.
However, the standards of these roads are very low. There are gravel roads, dirt roads, coal slag roads, brick roads, and cement roads.
More than 80% of the roads in East Africa's wilderness and villages are dirt roads, some of which have been compacted. Villages near industrial areas have cinder roads and a small amount of gravel roads.
Most roads in cities are made of brick and stone, including slabs of stone. Industrial areas generally have cement roads, and cities with average economic levels also have dirt roads, especially some cities in the west, where infrastructure is very scarce.
However, the east may not be much better. Although the road standards in the east are higher than the European average, the current road conditions in Europe are hard to describe. They are all the same.
Now that cars have appeared, the road pattern around the world must also change to meet the future development of the automotive industry.
For Ernst himself, the high degree of compatibility between hardened roads and rubber tires is also a major driving force for the development of roads. The two complement each other and are indispensable. If classical wooden tires or iron tires were to be used on hardened roads, Ernst would not be able to bear the noise alone.
Although hardened road surfaces are the future development trend, Ernst is not in a hurry to implement them in East Africa. On the one hand, the amount of projects in East Africa is too large and many water conservancy facilities are in the stage of recruiting people. On the other hand, it takes time to prepare.
In addition to roads, the most important problem that East Africa needs to solve is the fuel problem, and the local oil industry in East Africa should also be put on the agenda.
In any case, some of the local oil resources should be developed to suppress the price of imported oil. I thought carefully about the oil producing areas in Africa in the previous life.
Ernst plans to explore and develop the oil and gas resources in Lake Turkana first, which is a process of thinking about solving the problem according to the answer.
The oil resources in Lake Turkana are not too much, but not too little either. There are at least several hundred million barrels of reserves. This amount of oil will definitely not be enough for future generations, but it is definitely enough for East Africa's early use in this era.
During the First and Second World Wars, Romania's oil production was only between 7 and 10 million tons per year, and this was when production capacity exploded during the war. Therefore, the oil from Lake Turkana combined with imported oil was enough for East Africa to use for at least the first 40 to 50 years.
There are only a few oil-producing countries now, and their output is pitifully small, so there is no need for East Africa to directly take out the oil from Uganda or South Sudan for development.
In fact, East Africa has signed many supply agreements with oil giants such as the United States and Rockefeller. In Romania, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Tsarist Russia, the European oil industry has been directly deployed to train professional workers and technicians needed in East Africa.
However, these measures are only temporary solutions and do not address the root cause. East Africa's overall oil resources are not scarce, but they are not abundant either. If Angola wants to ensure East Africa's energy security, it must find a way to take over all of them in the future, especially the Luanda area north of the Congo River.
If the Luanda area can be taken over, East Africa's oil reserves will be considerable even in the 21st century. The oil resource potential in eastern East Africa is also huge, which is sufficient for early development.
Africa's oil reserves are above average among all continents, and are mainly distributed in the northern region, especially North Africa and West Africa, which is not very friendly to East Africa today.
East Africa's oil resources are also concentrated in the northern region, including the Nile Basin and the east. As for northern Angola, it is now temporarily controlled by the Portuguese.
In addition to the above-mentioned oil resources that are within reach in East Africa, Alaska is also considered a royal industry. However, the Alaska region is isolated overseas, and Ernst does not want it to develop too early. If Alaska's gold mines and oil resources are discovered, it is likely to attract the covetousness of Japan, Tsarist Russia, Canada (UK), and the United States.
To put it bluntly, the Far Eastern Empire is not strong enough now, otherwise it would have been included. There are not many small countries in the entire North Pacific region except Southeast Asia.
Therefore, before East Africa can provide Alaska with military security support, it is better for Alaska to continue to develop in a low-key manner.
It is not so easy to develop the oil resources in Lake Turkana. Although Ernst is sure that there are oil resources in Lake Turkana, it is hard to say whether it is technically possible.
However, according to Ernst's idea, the difficulty should not be particularly high. Romania's oil is on the coast of the Black Sea, and although Lake Turkana is just a saltwater lake, its area is not small. The two should still have similarities.
So now we can explore the resources of Lake Turkana. This must be implemented by top experts, and it would be best if it could be closely integrated with East Africa’s national defense and security.
At the same time, Ernst also thought of Germany's coal-to-oil technology during World War II. This is also a good idea. East Africa's coal resources are relatively abundant, especially in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Although the latter two countries cannot reach the level of South Africa, they are also quite considerable.
After all, in the past, South Africa’s coal resources could compete with Australia, Russia, India, Brazil, etc. in the international market.
There is also biofuel in later generations. Although the corn production in East Africa is far less than that in the United States, the planting area is not small, so both directions can be considered.
Thinking of this, Ernst also thought of the abundant natural gas resources in East Africa. Natural gas can replace oil resources to a certain extent, and natural gas resources are quite abundant in East Africa. They are not scarce in East Africa, including the eastern part. There are large amounts of natural gas resources distributed in the east.
Based on past experience, natural gas is particularly focused on the two areas of household fuel and industrial production. Although its role in the transportation field is not as great as that of oil, it is a good supplement to the application of oil in other fields.
The most important thing is that natural gas is a clean energy and can play a very good role in environmental protection. Therefore, East Africa should pay attention to the development and utilization of natural gas resources. As time goes by, natural gas, a clean energy, will receive more attention.
Finally, there is nuclear energy. It may be too early to talk about the use of nuclear energy now. Even Ernst is not sure whether he can live to see that time.
However, East Africa has obvious advantages in this regard, and Ernst has even had a general idea of the future layout of the nuclear energy industry in East Africa.
That is to put it in Southwest Africa. First, Southwest Africa is vast and sparsely populated. Even if an accident occurs, it will not have much impact on East Africa. The worst that can happen is to discharge the waste directly into the Atlantic Ocean like the UK. East Africa mainly relies on the Indian Ocean, so doing so can learn from the three rogues of Britain, the United States and Japan in later generations. Second, Southwest Africa is an important uranium producing area in the world. Some rivers even carry radioactive elements eroded from upstream mountains. Third, Southwest Africa is conducive to the layout of the National Defense Security Agency and is highly secretive. The bombing of the German nuclear plant during World War II is unlikely to happen in East Africa.
(End of this chapter)
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