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Oil and Gas news in Africa (Exploration and Development)

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#1 ·
By:www.ogj.com
Cairn tests oil offshore Senegal
Spudded in November 2015, Cairn Energy PLC’s SNE-2 appraisal well was successfully tested in two intervals offshore Senegal on the Sangomar Block (OGJ Online, Dec. 10, 2015).
Drillstem tests over a 12-m interval flowed 8,000 bo/d through a 24/64-in. choke, the company said. A second 15-m interval flowed 1,000 bo/d through the same size choke, however, the company said this oil was low quality “heterolithic” pay.
Following this first successful appraisal well, Cairn expects to revise its resource estimates for SNE field, which lies 100 km offshore Senegal.
The tests confirm correlation of the principle reservoir units between SNE-1 and SNE-2 with the primary reservoirs occurring in the gas cap as predicted, the company said.
The company recovered 216 m of continuous core across the entire reservoir interval. Similar oil-down-to and oil-up-to depths were verified in SNE-2 (103 m gross) with those in SNE-1 (95 m gross).
The SNE-2 well was drilled in 1,200 m of water to a total depth of 2,800 m. It lies some 3 km to the south of Cairn’s previous SNE-1 discovery well (OGJ Online, Nov. 19, 2014). The company is now planning its second appraisal well, SNE-3.
Project partners are Cairn 40%, ConocoPhillips 35%, FAR 15%, and Senegal state oil concern Petrosen 10%.
 
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#2 ·
By:interfaxenergy.com
Pipeline to unlock southern Tunisia’s gas potential

A pipeline under construction in Tunisia will help unlock the potential of the country’s gas-rich southern region and reduce Tunisia’s reliance on imported gas.

The route will have a capacity of up to 10 million cubic metres per day and will run 370 km from Nawara in the south of the country to the port city of Gabés. It will form part of the South Tunisian Gas Pipeline project (STGP), which also includes a central processing facility at Nawara and a gas treatment plant at Gabés.

The project is being carried out by Tunisian NOC Entreprise Tunisienne d’Activités Pétrolières (ETAP) and Austria’s OMV in a 50/50 joint venture.

Construction work began in summer 2015 and the project is due to be commissioned in 2017, according to an OMV representative.

The completion of the pipeline may encourage further development of southern Tunisia’s gas resources. The Nawara pipeline is "going to be a phenomenal driver for business in southern Tunisia", Trent Rehill, president of licence-holder Winstar Tunisia, told Interfax.

The pipeline will allow licence-holders to access buyers for their gas. "We’ve got a number of very attractive drilling targets for gas condensate, but [without] the pipeline we can’t drill those because we can’t commercialise them," said Rehill.

Other explorers are in a similar position. "I think a lot of the players in southern Tunisia are waiting for that pipeline to be built and functional to put on the next gas campaign of drilling," Rehill added.

The lack of oil resources in the south of the country has previously discouraged investment. "It’s evident that southern Tunisia is not a true oil province but really a gas condensate province," said Rehill.

Local production
The aim of the STGP project is to "produce Tunisian gas for the Tunisian market", an OMV representative told Interfax. Gas from the Nawara pipeline could displace imports from Algeria that enter the country at El Borma before being piped to Gabès.

This would help Tunisia reduce its dependence on imported gas. "They are paying a high tariff for Algerian gas and so any Tunisian gas that can take its place will come to market," said Rehill.

As a licence-holder in southern Tunisia as well as a project sponsor, OMV will use the pipeline to supply more than 10% of Tunisia’s gas needs by 2017. This could rise to 20-25%, according to market sources.

Around one-third of the pipeline’s capacity will be used to transport OMV’s gas. The remaining two-thirds will be used by other gas producers that can tie in to the pipeline.

Those able to produce associated gas will be first in line to secure access to the pipeline, said Rehill.

As well as encouraging companies already present in southern Tunisia to invest, the pipeline may boost interest in open licences in the south.

ETAP has yet to award licences for several southern concessions, including El Hamra, Bir Ben Tartar, Ksar Ghilane, Telemzane, Ksar Lemza, Kamour and Taguelmit. The presence of a major pipeline may convince explorers to apply for the licences.

But while the Nawara pipeline will help connect areas of supply to centres of demand, transporting the gas will add to its overall cost, as will increased security concerns in the region.

Ahmed *******h, a Tunis-based independent oil and gas consultant, told Interfax gas from areas near the Algerian and Libyan borders costs more to produce than gas from coastal areas as a result.

These issues are manageable, according to some exploration and production companies working in Tunisia, as the gas can be extracted relatively cheaply. But for expensive extraction projects such as shale development, the pipeline is unlikely to increase activity.

While shale gas potential exists in southern Tunisia, the costs are prohibitive in the current low-price environment and there is plenty of untapped conventional potential.

"There’s a huge amount of conventional, easily exportable hydrocarbons to come to market," said Rehill. "There is potential for shale oil and shale gas, but that’s a lot more expensive to commercialise."

"There is [shale] potential, but the key thing is that conventional [resources] will have to be developed first," Edward van Kersbergen, chairman of Mazarine Energy, told Interfax. "There is clearly potential in the south, but there’s little point in looking at this."

However, were shale gas development to take off in the future, the new pipeline could easily be expanded if demand exceeds capacity, said Rehill.
 
#3 ·
By:www.youroilandgasnews.com
Minerva Bunkers starts physical supply operations offshore West Africa
Minerva Bunkers, a global supplier and trader of marine fuels, confirmed the launch of a physical fuel supply operation in West Africa, which covers the offshore waters of the Guinea Gulf countries: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon.

The launch will complement the company's current trading operation across the region.

Minerva Bunkers' 13,115-dwt double-hulled tanker Sea Lion I will supply customers with the full range of fuels. A second tanker of similar size is due to be launched before March 2016. Built in 2007, Sea Lion I has a pumping capacity of up to 1,000 MT/HR. The tanker will be fitted in the first quarter of 2016 with a Coriolis Mass Flow Meter to provide accuracy in the quantity of fuel supplied. The new meter will also provide additional assurances against any measurement inaccuracies caused by swelling during offshore supply.

Miguel Fernandez, Physical Supply Business Development Manager for Minerva Bunkers, commented: "We know this region very well and know what our customers need in this region – fast and accurate supply, high quality products and being able to avoid unnecessary port calls and lengthy waits. With our own vessel and control over the supply chain, we are able to provide our customers with the highest quality fuels in the most efficient and cost effective way."

Currently, Minerva Bunkers supplies the full range of high quality bunker fuels offshore West Africa, including MGO and IFO ranging from 30 to 380 cst.

Fernandez continued: "With our team's expertise in serving offshore markets worldwide, as well as an in depth knowledge of the local markets, we can deliver Minerva Bunkers trademark quality service where our customers need it. Offshore supply is time-critical and safety is of paramount importance, so it is important that our customers can be assured by the rigor and transparency that define our operations. This is exactly why we have set our own extremely high quality standards, which go over and above the industry requirements and guarantee reliability of supply."

The company uses its own global standard to ensure the quality of its products, which used in all of Minerva Bunkers' physical operations. A specification analysis on physical product orders is provided to customers. That analysis is then delivered prior to the usual testing procedures conducted by an external fuel oil analysis provider.

Minerva Bunkers is in the process of getting the certifications ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 and occupational health and safety standard OHSAS 18001.

About Minerva Bunkers:

Minerva Bunkers is a global supplier of marine fuels and related services. The company is 100% owned by Mercuria Energy Trading, a leading integrated Energy and Commodity Group. Minerva's core activity is the global sale of bunkers both from its own physical inventories, now in Singapore, Houston and West Africa, with several new locations projected in the next few years, as well as worldwide intermediary trading. Minerva Bunkers also provides advanced risk management tools and services in an increasingly unpredictable oil market and volatile global economy. Its parent company, Mercuria, is one of the world's largest traders of oil cargoes.

The Group has a strong local market knowledge as a result of global network operating with counterparties in more than 50 countries, spanning Europe, Middle East, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
 
#4 ·
By:www.hellenicshippingnews.com
Algeria's energy export volumes dip in Jan-Sept 2015
Algeria’s energy export volumes dropped 2.8 percent in the first nine months of 2015 due to a fall in output and a sharp rise in domestic consumption, the energy ministry said. Energy exports had fallen in 2014 from the previous year as oil and gas output declined in the North African OPEC member.

Algeria, a major gas supplier to Europe, relies heavily on energy earnings, which make up 95 percent of total exports and account for 60 percent of the country’s budget. Its finances have been hit since global crude oil prices started falling in June 2014 and in the first nine months of 2015, energy earnings fell 45 percent to $25.8 billion.

The government has already said energy earnings would fall by 50 percent to $34 billion in 2015 before reaching $26.4 billion this year, pushing down reserves to $121 billion.

Algeria’s central bank governor on Wednesday said falling energy revenue would cause foreign exchange reserves to drop to $152.7 billion in the third quarter of 2015 from $178.94 billion at the end of 2014.

Overall energy exports reached 74.7 million tonnes of oil equivalent in the first nine months of 2015 against 76.9 million tonnes a year earlier, the energy ministry said in the latest edition of its magazine “Algeria Energy”.

Crude oil shipments increased for the January-September period of last year, it said, without giving a figure. Algeria’s full-year crude exports had declined 16 percent in 2014 from the previous year.

Natural gas sales abroad fell 7.5 percent, while oil refined products exports dropped 5.3 percent for the first nine months of 2015, according to “Algeria Energy”.

The decline in exports was due to a 1.9 drop in overall energy output, which reached 112 million tonnes of oil equivalent, in addition to a 7.5 percent rise in demand from the population of 40 million, the ministry said.

It did not provide further details on production. It said natural gas consumption rose 8 percent to 30 billion cubic metres, while demand for gasoline and diesel oil increased 5.7 percent and 5.6 percent respectively.

Algeria this week started implementing rises in subsidised electricity, gasoline and diesel oil prices for the first time in more than a decade in a bid to reduce consumption after struggling to attract foreign investment to its energy sector.

It has delayed an energy bidding round for foreign oil companies previously planned for the third quarter of 2015.

In 2014, It awarded only four of 31 oil and gas blocks on offer to foreign consortiums. That followed a disappointing bidding round in 2011 when it secured bids for just two of 10 fields in the auction.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Hamid Ould Ahmed; editing by Patrick Markey and David Evans)
 
#5 ·
By:www.ogj.com

Eni brings Mpungi field on production offshore Angola

Italy’s Eni SPA has started deepwater production from Mpungi field on Block 15/06 offshore Angola, reaching a third milestone in the West Hub development project.

Mpungi field is 350 km northwest of Luanda and 130 km west of Soyo. Its production follows the West Hub’s production from Sangos field in November 2014 and Cinguvu field in April 2015 (OGJ Online, Apr. 29, 2015).

The West Hub is expected to ramp up production to 100,000 b/d during the first quarter. The West Hub encompasses development of Sangos, Cinguvu, Mpungi, Mpungi North, Ochigufu, and Vandumbu fields in 1,000-1,500 m of water.

The wells are connected to the N’Goma floating production, storage, and offloading unit, which has a treatment capacity of 100,000 b/d.

Eni operates Block 15/06 with a 36.84% stake. Other joint venture partners are Sonangol Pesquisa e Producao 36.84% and SSI Fifteen Ltd. 26.32%..............See more
 
#6 ·
By:www.ogj.com
Tullow updates upstream activity in Africa
Tullow Oil PLC reported that the Tweneboa-Enyenra-Ntomme (TEN) development project offshore Ghana is more than 80% complete and on track to begin production in July or August (OGJ Online, Nov. 13, 2014).

The floating production, storage, and offloading vessel for TEN is expected to arrive in Ghana in early March after an expected late January departure from Singapore. A gradual increase in production is anticipated during this year’s second half as the facilities go through the final commissioning stage and wells are tied into the FPSO.

Also in Ghana, Tullow said Jubilee field gross production in 2015 averaged 102,600 b/d (OGJ Online, Aug. 17, 2015). Tullow is forecasting production to reach 101,000 b/d in 2016 due to a planned 2-week FPSO maintenance shutdown in the first quarter and a period of reduced water injection capacity.

The Greater Jubilee Full Field Development Plan, which includes Mahogany and Teak fields, was submitted to Ghana’s government in December, Tullow said. Approval is targeted for this year’s first half. The project—to extend field production and increase commercial reserves—has been redesigned to reduce the overall capital requirement and allow flexibility in the timing of the capital investment.

In Kenya, meanwhile, Tullow said it spudded the Cheptuket-1 exploration well on Block 12A in the Kerio Valley basin on Dec. 28, 2015, with the PR Marriott Rig-46 and will likely complete drilling in February (OGJ Online, Dec. 15, 2015).
 
#7 ·
By:www.petroleumafrica.com
Tullow Updates Kenya

Tullow Oil issued an update on its operation in East Africa in its recent Trading Statement and Operational Update, specifically in Kenya. In December, Tullow saw successful results with the drilling of the Etom-2 well. The well discovered 102 meters of net oil pay in high quality reservoir sands in an untested fault block identified on recent 3D seismic. The successful Etom-2 result and additional prospectivity indicated on the new 3D seismic data around the greater Etom area and northern part of the South Lokichar Basin, highlights there is significant remaining exploration potential according to the company. Plans for further exploration drilling will be evaluated during H1 2016.
Tullow is currently drilling the Cheptuket-1 exploration well in Block 12A, spud near the end of December. The well will test a basin bounding structural closure in the undrilled Kerio Valley Basin, in a similar structural setting to the successful Ngamia and Amosing discoveries in the South Lokichar Basin. Cheptuket-1 will likely complete drilling in February after which the PR Marriott Rig-46 will demobilise, marking the end of the current drilling campaign.
As for the development of its Kenya assets, good progress continues to be made in future planning. Completion of the appraisal drilling campaign in 2015, including the successful Amosing and Ngamia Extended Well Tests, underpins a 2C resource base of 600 million barrels of oil. The Etom-2 result and surrounding prospectivity support an upside potential of 1 billion barrels of oil in the South Lokichar Basin. The draft Field Development Plan was submitted to the Kenyan government in December and will inform discussions as we progress towards potential FID of both the Kenya and Uganda upstream development projects in 2017..............See more
 
#8 ·
By:www.petroleumafrica.com
Lukoil Looks to Exit Cote d’Ivoire
Russian oil and gas producer is reportedly exiting its assets in the West African country of Cote d’Ivoire. The news of the Russian firm’s exit was reported by Interfax news agency, who cited a source.

The company has been in the West African nation since 2006 and drilled several wells including the Independence-1X on Block CI-401 which resulted in a light oil and gas condensate discovery in December 2011.

Cote d’Ivoire is not the only country Lukoil could be exiting, as in 2014 it said the high level of political and economic risk in a number of countries it operates in could complicate its work and even lead to its termination of activities. In 2012 production from Lukoil’s Karpatneftechem in Ukraine was stopped, it sold its Odessa refinery in 2013, and then its network of petrol stations in Ukraine in 2014.

According to TASS it has closed all its projects in Vietnam and intends to focus on projects in West Africa, specifically Sierra Leone and Ghana.
 
#9 ·
By:www.ogj.com
Nigeria shutters two refineries following pipeline attacks

Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) has stopped production at two of its three major refineries amid disruptions to feedstock availability following mid-January attacks by Nigerian militants on crude oil pipelines that supply the processing sites.
NNPC simultaneously suspended operations on Jan. 17 at subsidiaries Kaduna Refining Co.’s 110,000-b/d refinery, Kaduna state, and Port Harcourt Refining Co.’s 210,000-b/d two-plant refining complex, Rivers state, after the Escravos-Warri crude supply line to the Kaduna refinery and Bonny-Okrika crude pipeline to the Port Harcourt complex suffered breaches as a result of the attacks, NNPC said in a series of recent posts to its social media accounts.
“In response to the unexpected setback, we have activated comprehensive remedial measures to sustain the prevailing stability in the supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country,” the state oil corporation said.
NNPC additionally confirmed that subsidiary Warri Refining and Petrochemicals Co.’s 125,000-b/d refinery in eastern Nigeria’s Delta state remains operational at a current fuel production rate of about 1.4 million l./day.
Prior to the Jan. 17 plant shutdowns, fuel production at the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries averaged about 4.1 million l./day and 1.3 million l./day, respectively, NNPC said.
The company did not disclose details regarding timelines for repairs to the pipelines or the possible restart of production at the refineries.
In December, NNPC achieved technical restarts of all three refineries following a series of prolonged operational and maintenance issues that left much of Nigeria’s nameplate refining capacity idled, according to the company’s monthly newsletter for December 2015.......................See more
 
#10 ·
By:www.ogj.com
Kosmos finds gas with Guembeul-1 offshore Senegal
Kosmos Energy Ltd.’s first attempt to delineate the Greater Tortue area offshore Senegal encountered 101 m of net natural gas pay in two reservoirs in the northern part of the St. Louis Offshore Profond license area (OGJ Online, Nov. 12, 2015), the company said.

The Guembeul-1 exploration well was drilled 5 km south of the basin-opening Tortue-1 gas discovery (renamed Ahmeyim)(OGJ Online, Apr. 27, 2015). The well was drilled in 2,700 m of water to a total depth of 5,245 m, encountering 56 m of pay in the Lower Cenomanian and 45 m in the underlying Albain. Neither interval contained water, Kosmos reported, adding the well demonstrated reservoir continuity as well as static pressure communication with the Totue-1 well in the Lower Cenomanian. This suggests a single, large gas accumulation.

Based on the results from Guembeul-1, Kosmos increased its gross resource estimate for the Tortue West structure to 11 tcf from 8 tcf. For the Greater Tortue Complex, estimates have increased to 17 tcf from 14 tcf.

The Atwood Achiever drillship will now proceed to Mauritania to drill the Ahmeyim-2 delineation well in the southern part of Mauritania’s Block C-8...........................See more
 
#11 ·
By:www.oilreviewafrica.com
Sudan provides OVL three more oil and gas blocks for exploration
The Sudanese government has provided Indian-based ONGC Videsh (OVL) three more oil and gas blocks for exploration and production

Sudan has offered Blocks 8, 15 and 24 for exploration of oil. (Image source: curraheeshutter)

The firm has invited Indian firms to set up a coastal refinery to increase fuel supplies to the African continent, it revealed.

“They have offered more oil blocks for exploration and asked for Indian companies’ expertise to raise production from existing fields,” oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan said after having met at the 4th India-Africa Hydrocarbons Conference.

Awad stated Sudan has offered Blocks 8, 15 and 24 for exploration of oil and has asked OVL to consider buying a stake in producing Block 17.

“The issue of US$240mn pending dues was also discussed and modalities are being worked out for that,” he said.

Pradhan noted that Sudan plans for Indian firms setting up a coastal refinery to meet not just local fuel demand but also export to other African nations.....................See more
 
#12 ·
By:www.offshore-mag.com
VAALCO postpones crude sweetening project offshore Gabon
HOUSTON – VAALCO Energy has completed a workover campaign at the Avouma platform on the Etame Marin blockoffshore Gabon.

This concerned the South Tchibala 2-H, Avouma 3-H, and Avouma 2-H wells.

Production from the Avouma platform, one of four installations on the block, is tied back to the Petroleo Nautipa FPSO.

South Tchibala 2-H had been offline since August 2014 due to downhole equipment failure, but is now flowing around 3,000 b/d.

The Avouma 2-H post-workover rate has increased by around 500 b/d. However, the Avouma 3-H workover operation had to be suspended with the well secured for future use after downhole equipment became lodged in the wellbore.

VAALCO will assess whether further operations can be conducted on the well at a later date.

In addition, the company is deferring its offshore Gabon Etame Marin crude sweetening project until oil prices recover to levels that justify the program.

Although the study identified more than 15 potential solutions to remove hydrogen sulfide from produced fluids, none are economic at current prices.

Earlier this week the Transocean rig Constellation II began demobilizing and VAALCO has no plans for further drilling this year on the Etame Marin block.....................See more
 
#13 ·
By:www.offshore-mag.com
3D seismic survey assesses pre/postsalt prospects offshore Congo

GENEVA, Switzerland – Polarcus Alima has completed a 3D seismic survey offshore the Republic of Congo for operator Philia.

This comprised 237 sq km (91.5 sq mi) of full-fold data over the northern half of the Marine XIII Offshore block. Polarcusand Philia co-designed the campaign.

The aim was to allow more precise interpretation of prospective hydrocarbon plays in the presalt and postsalt prospective sequences of the sedimentary Congo basin.

An unnamed contractor is currently processing the data. Philia expects the final 3D seismic volume migrated in depth to be available in July 2016, allowing the company and its partners to identify locations for future exploration drilling.
 
#14 ·
By:www.upstreamonline.com
Threat to Egypt’s energy recovery

Prime Minister Sherif Ismail may owe his job to the fact that he succeeded in resuscitating Egypt’s offshore upstream sector by winning back the trust of international oil companies hard-hit by the 2011 revolution.
But dark clouds looming over Egypt’s economy are threatening the nascent recovery in the oil and gas sectors.

When Ismail was appointed Oil Minister in July 2013, he inherited an industry in complete chaos, with falling production and oil companies reluctant to invest amid deepening payment problems.

Major projects were halted by the likes of BP, which found it impossible to negotiate an attractive enough gas price for its deep-offshore fields.

Meanwhile, offshore licensing rounds failed to sparkle as established players saw no reason to deepen their involvement in a country plagued by financial and economic problems, and adverse to initiating the necessary reforms to kick-start the oil sector.

Ismail, a veteran oilman, immediately embarked on reforms that soon led to a transformation of the oil industry.

His priorities included reducing mounting debts to oil companies and offering them attractive prices for the development of offshore gas.

Investors responded by reviving shelved projects and resuming offshore exploration.

BP stepped up investment on its flagship $12 billion West Nile Delta project while Eni, the largest producer of oil and gas in Egypt, boosted offshore exploration that resulted in the discovery of the super-giant Zohr field in August.

President Abdel Fatteh el-Sisi moved quickly to reward Ismail, appointing him prime minister in September with a mandate to improve Egypt’s ailing economy.

But the oil industry’s renaissance is suddenly facing strong headwinds amid an economy battered by falling revenues from tourism in the aftermath of the bombing of a Russian passenger plane in October.

Egypt is also grappling with weak revenues from the expanded Suez Canal. Furthermore, donations from the rich Persian Gulf states to Sisi’s government have dwindled.

Egypt managed to pay back more than $2 billion to international players last year thanks to grants from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, who see Sisi as a bulwark against threats posed by Islamic State.

With the Gulf’s largesse under threat amid falling oil prices, Egypt seems to be shifting its focus away from the oil industry to more urgent needs, thus making it increasingly unlikely that it will clear the backlog of debt to international players by the end of this year as promised.

In fact, the debt to oil companies has now risen to $3.8 billion and is growing. Egypt has so few dollars to pay for imports, including such necessities as gas and refined products, that it has had to impose import controls, which have stifled the manufacturing sector, further constraining economic growth.

Its fight against Islamist militants is costing it dearly in financial terms, and is causing damage to its human rights reputation.

Amnesty International accuses Egypt’s security apparatus of using torture, excessive force, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance to crush all forms of dissent........................See more
 
#15 ·
By:www.worldoil.com
Land deal finalized in preparation for Tanzania LNG project
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (Reuters) - Tanzania said on Friday it had finalized a land acquisition for the site of a planned LNG plant, and was now working to compensate and resettle villagers to move forward on a long-delayed project.

Tanzania's natural gas reserves are estimated at more than 55 Tcf and the central bank believes 2 percentage points would be added to annual economic growth of 7% simply by starting work on the huge plant that would draw in billions of dollars of investment.

BG Group, being acquired by Royal Dutch Shell , along with Statoil, Exxon Mobil and Ophir Energy plan to build the onshoreLNG export terminal in partnership with the state-run Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC). They aim to start it up in the early 2020s.

But their final investment decision has in part been held up by delays in finalizing issues related to the site.

"After securing the title deed, the law requires the owner to pay compensation to the relevant parties based on a valuation done by the chief government valuer," TPDC said in a statement.

TPDC now owns title deed for some 2,071.705 hectares of land that have been set aside for the construction of the planned two-train LNG terminal at Likong'o village in the southern Tanzanian town of Lindi, which is located close to large offshore gas finds.

Another 17,000 hectares of land around the site for the proposed LNG terminal has been allocated for an industrial park.

The land was bought from large landowners and some individual villagers.

Tanzania's new president, John Magufuli, has promised more urgency in decision-making, responding to a frequent complaint from businesses. One example has been delays in finalizing a site for the multi-billion-dollar LNG plant that will exploit huge offshore gas finds.

Oil companies were unable to gain access to the site until the land purchase, analysts say........................See more
 
#16 ·
By:www.petroleumafrica.com
Sonam Platform Ready for Installation

Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Nigerdock have completed Chevron’s Sonam non-associated gas wellhead platform (Sonam NWP). The platform is now ready to load out and set sail to the Sonam field for installation.
At its inauguration at Nigerdock’s fabrication yard on Snake Island, the Chairman/Managing Director, Chevron Nigeria Ltd, Clay Neff, represented by the company’s Director for Business Services, Emmanuel Imafidon, said the project accomplished in over 2.8 million man-hours, was done without injury or incident.
The Sonam NWP will enable the delivery of up to 300 Mmcf/d of gas from Sonam to Chevron’s Escravos gas plant. This project will enable delivery of additional gas supply to the domestic market.
The Chairman of Nigerdock and Jagal Group, Anwar Jamarkani said the platform has a height of 28 meters, width of 40 meters and a length of 50 meters, making it the largest topside module ever built in Nigeria. Because of the volume of gas the platform will produce, he said the project is a major milestone as it will provide feedstock for the much needed power generation.
He said: “The project will boost power generation ability and provide the much needed power for Nigeria’s domestic and industrial needs. It will significantly eliminate gas flaring from the project in fulfillment of government’s gas flaring policy, and attract gas investment opportunities thereby boosting this administration’s effort to diversify the economy from dependence on crude oil proceeds.”...............See more
 
#17 ·
By:
www.offshore-mag.com
Sterling reduces offshore Mauritania interests
LONDON – Sterling Energy has served notice of its withdrawal from block C-3 offshore Mauritania.

The company will assign its entire 40.5% interest in the production-sharing contract (PSC) to operator Tullow Mauritania. Societe Mauritanienne des Hydrocarbures et de Patrimoine Minier holds the remaining 10%.

Block C-3 covers roughly 9,800 sq km (3,784 sq mi). In 2014, a year after the PSC award, the operator commissioned a 1,600-km (994-mi) 2D seismic survey.

Sterling believes the results have not sufficiently de-risked the block potential to justify entering Phase 2 work commitments of 700 sq km (270 sq mi) of 3D seismic and drilling of one well.

However, the company remains committed to nearby block C-10, where operator Tullow plans the first well during 2017.
 
#18 ·
By:www.petroleumafrica.com
Aminex Ready for Production in Tanzania
Aminex reported that its Kiliwani North-1 well in Tanzania is currently undergoing final well integrity testing prior to first production. This follows the signing of a GSA last month.

The gas price agreed of $3.00 per mmbtu, approximately $3.07 per mcf, is indexed-linked to the US CPI and not reliant on global oil prices. The company will be paid in USD for all produced gas including commissioning and testing gas.

TPDC advised Aminex to prepare the well for production starting mid-February. Initial production rates will be managed to allow for testing and commissioning of the recently completed gas processing plant and pipeline, while recording critical pressure and flow rate measurements to determine the optimal flow rate to maximize the life of the reservoir.

Partner Solo Oil holds an option to acquire a further interest in the Kiliwani North Development License.

LR Senergy has ascribed 28 Bcf contingent (2C) resources (gross) to Kiliwani North, which was .................See more
 
#19 ·
By:www.petroleumafrica.com
MX Oil to Sell Nigerian Asset
MX Oil has provided an update in connection with the proposal it has received for its Nigerian investment in the Aje field offshore Nigeria. The directors believe a sale of its Nigerian investment is an attractive option for the company and signed a term sheet with the proposed purchaser who is part of an established international oil and gas group.
Under the terms of the proposal, the company will receive $18 million for the sale of its investment upon meeting certain conditions. Initially up to $3.5 million will be advanced to MX Oil in two stages after the signing of binding legal documentation. These funds will be used to finance the remaining cash calls expected to be required for the investment in order to bring the underlying asset into production.
The proposed purchaser will then have the right to acquire the investment, which is most likely to be when initial oil production commences. On exercise of this acquisition right, the company will receive one payment of $5.75 million and then a second payment of $5.75 million six months later. The balance of $3 million will then be paid in three annual $1 million installments from the date of the exercise of the acquisition right, although these payments may be accelerated in the event that the oil price exceeds $45 per barrel for a three month period.
If, for whatever reason, the purchaser decides not to exercise its acquisition right then the amount initially advanced will either be repaid, converted into a convertible loan in the company holding the investment, or become a secured loan to be repaid from the cash flow generated from oil production....................See more
 
#20 ·
By:www.rigzone.com
Total Conducting Seismic Testing on Congo Oil Block

KINSHASA, Feb 4 (Reuters) - French oil major Total is conducting seismic testing on a block it operates in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a company spokeswoman confirmed on Thursday, making it the first oil major to conduct such testing in the country. Congo produces just 25,000 barrels of oil per day along its Atlantic coast in the west but hopes that further exploration offshore and near Lake Albert, which straddles the eastern border with Uganda, will boost that figure significantly in coming years. Total holds a 66.66 percent stake in Block 3, located along Lake Albert. Semliki Sarl, majority owned by South Africa-based SacOil, and the Congolese state hold minority stakes. Total acquired its exploration license in January 2012 but has had to contend with persistent insecurity in the conflict-ravaged area caused by rebel groups. The spokeswoman did not provide additional details about the testing. Crude deposits were first discovered in the Albertine rift basin by Uganda in 2006. Uganda estimates the reserves on its side of the border at 6.5 billion barrels and some experts believe Congo could have a similar quantity. Research and exploratory findings based on seismic testing by a company owned by Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler on two other blocks in northeastern Congo suggest they could contain reserves of close to 1.5 billion barrels of oil, the company has said. Campaign groups have criticised oil exploration on both sides of the border, saying................See more
 
#21 ·
By:www.rigzone.com
Workers at Ivory Coast's State Oil Company Petroci Extend Strike
ABIDJAN, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Workers at Ivory Coast's state oil company Petroci have extended a strike for an additional 72 hours as they sought to bring in employees from other companies in the sector to join their protest against layoffs, union officials said on Friday. Fifty of Petroci's 600 employees were made redundant last month and another 150 are expected to be dismissed, union leaders have said, in the wake of an audit recommending that the company cut costs and staff amid falling oil prices. Workers launched a 72-hour strike on Tuesday. "Next week we will intensify the strike and see if other employees from other companies in the sector join the Petroci employees in this strike," said Geremie N'Guessan Wondje, secretary general of the SYNTEPCI union. Petroci offered to pay 10 dismissed managers six months salary while the 40 other laid-off employees were to receive eight months salary. However, a member of the company's management said the union was demanding 20 months. "That's not possible. We don't have all that money," said the official, who asked not to be named. Petroci is a small oil and natural gas producer but it is heavily involved in the downstream sector, controlling 36 percent of domestic gas distribution in French-speaking West Africa's largest economy as well as about 30 filling stations. It also partners with companies with production and exploration operations and manages a logistical base that services offshore blocks. ...................See more
 
#22 ·
By:www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk
Sound Energy highlights ambitions with Morocco expansion
At a time when most talk in the oil sector is about retrenchment and cutbacks, Sound Energy (LON:SOU) has been going the other way.

In the past six months it has started gas production at its Nervesa operation onshore in Italy and taken on three other sizeable gas interests in Morocco.

Mediterranean gas is the theme and as a statement of intent that it is not going to be deflected by events outside of its control, it is pretty definite.

Morocco

Sound expects to start drilling its first well at the Tendrara licence, in north east Morocco, within the coming weeks.

The company sealed its deal to acquire up to a 55% stake in Tendrara (or Tendrara Lakbir) in December and it is now progressing a programme to drill up to three wells.

A collaboration with Schlumberger will see this work carried out.

The US oilfield services giant has agreed to fund 80% of the investment in the first hole and 75% of the second and third.

After that the partners will bankroll further field development on a 50-50 basis.

The programme’s aim is to appraise what could be a significant project and ideally prove-up enough gas to justify investments necessary to install necessary infrastructure.

As a sign of the shift in emphasis Sound told investors it would switch its webcam stream, which had been watching progress at Nervesa, to the Tendrara well site.

In another move that indicates its hopes for Tendrara, Sound Energy has taken an option over 55% of the neighbouring licence.

The new permit, Meridja, covers a 9,000 sq km area adjacent to Tendrara and has the same fundamental geology.

James Parsons, Sound's chief executive, said given Meridja’s position the option would become significantly more valuable if the first well at Tendrara was as successful as hoped.

At Meridja,,Oil & Gas Investment Fund (OGIF) has a 75% interest in a reconnaissance permit with the remaining 25% held by Morocco's Office National des Hydrocarbures des Mines.

Sound will pay OGIF US$100,000 for its option and spend US$200,000 on early stage exploration. A further US$150,000 is payable if the option is taking up while Sound will have to pay all of the costs of a first well.

The final piece of acreage is a deal to take 75% of the Sidi Moktar project, in the north west of the country.

Like Tendrara, Sidi Moktar hosts a potentially large gas project that requires some further work and testing before a field development. Here, Sound is talking to potential farm-in partners but could still anticipate first gas production later in 2016...................See more
 
#23 ·
By:www.ogj.com
Qatar Petroleum joins Chevron in three Moroccan deepwater leases
Qatar Petroleum has agreed to acquire 30% interest from Chevron Morocco Exploration Ltd., a subsidiary of Chevron Corp., in the Cap Rhir Deep, Cap Cantin Deep, and Cap Walidia Deep leases offshore Morocco.

The three lease areas encompass 29,200 sq km in 100-4,500 m of water, 100-200 km west and northwest of the city of Agadir.

Under the agreement, which was approved by the Moroccan government, Chevron will retain 45% interest and remain operator while Morocco’s Office National Des Hydrocarbures Et Des Mines will continue to hold 25%. Chevron entered the licenses in 2013 (OGJ Online, Jan. 22, 2013)...............See more
 
#24 ·
By:www.worldstagegroup.com
Gas discovery off Mauritania and Senegal to bring huge development gains
Kosmos Energy has announced the discovery of 450 bn cubic metres of gas at its Guembeul-1 exploration well in the northern part of the Saint Louis Offshore Profond, straddling the border between Senegal and Mauritania.

The announcement marks the biggest gas discovery in West Africa and will offer a new source of revenue to both countries, which have struggled amid declining commodity prices and weak foreign investment.

Despite much anticipation, the potential for delay to production is significant since Mauritania and Senegal will still need to negotiate ownership of the resource.

Uncertainties surrounding oil and gas regulations in both countries may act as further impediments to development.

The discovery at the Guembeul-1 wellrepresents one of the most significant finds for the West African gas industry in several years. Kosmos made two smaller discoveries off the coast of Mauritania in April and November 2015, and the latest find will raise hopes of further high-quality reserves in the Greater Tortue Complex, where Kosmos is now estimating there are 17 tn cubic feet (Tcf), up from 14 Tcf previously. The company notes the find has also significantly de-risked the prospects of adjacent blocks and has proven the existence of high quality reservoirs in the underlying Albian. The discovery is particularly important for the future of oil and gas in Senegal, where more than 140 offshore wells have been drilled since the 1950s but until now proven reserves have been limited.

Delays a concern

It may take some time for the development of the Saint-Louis Profond to be realised however. Kosmos announced after the discovery that it had entered into a memorandum of understanding with Petrosen and Societe Mauritanienne des Hydrocarbures et de Patrimonie Minier (SMHPM), the national oil companies of Senegal and Mauritania, in order to develop the field. However, a revenue-sharing formula between the two countries and Kosmos has not yet been finalised. Kosmos currently holds a 60 percent interest in the well, along with Timis Corporation Ltd at 30 percent and Petrosen at 10 percent, but it is unclear how Mauritania will benefit from the initiative unless this arrangement is renegotiated. The complexity of the negotiations of gas sharing, of which there is no specific precedent between the two countries, means negotiations could be drawn out and delays are possible. No timeline has yet been set for when these issues will be resolved, leaving the project timeframes vulnerable to complex and politically charged bilateral negotiations.

Regulatory uncertainty

An unclear legislative framework governing the oil and gas sectors in both Senegal and Mauritania presents further obstacles. Neither country is an established producer of oil or gas and there is little precedent for large scale production. The only case of an oil and gas company reaching production stages in either country involved Australia’s Woodside Petroleum, whose experience highlights the challenges foreign companies can face, in this case in in Mauritania. Woodside was involved in production at Mauritania’s offshore Chinguetti oil field in the early 2000s but eventually sold its assets in 2006, saying they were no longer profitable. The sale came after the company was forced to pay USD 100 mn as a “project bonus” to the new Mauritanian authorities, while a separate corruption case launched by the Australian Federal Police into Woodside’s operations in Mauritania also cast doubt on the feasibility of the project.

The regulatory environment in Senegal presents further uncertainties, at a time when the Senegalese government is seeking to revise its outdated 1998 Petroleum Code. Petrosen has put out a tender for a consultancy to help revise oil regulations in December 2016, with the winning company expected to complete its study within six months. No news has been made public on how the consultancy process is progressing or when a new petroleum code will be delivered, however. Among the key topics of debate are demands from some local regions for greater involvement in decision-making in the oil and gas sector and for the greater allocation of oil revenues.

These complex political debates will mean the Petroleum Code could be subject to long periods of review that could affect project timelines. Presidential elections scheduled for 2017 will further complicate this process and could lead to changes of key personnel responsible for negotiating contracts with companies, as well as those responsible for the revenue-sharing negotiations with Mauritania, if those talks continue that long. Leading the talks on the Senegalese side will be the head of Petrosen Mamadou Faye and the Senegal’s Minister of Industry and Mines Aly Ngouille Ndiaye. They will be met by their Mauritanian counterparts, SMHPM director Mohamed Vall Telmidy and Minister of Petroleum, Energy and Mines Mohamed Salem Ould Bechir.

Gas brings huge opportunities to local markets

Once production at the field begins it will provide a huge boost to growth plans in Mauritania and Senegal, which are both suffering in the wake of depressed global commodity prices and weak foreign investment. The Plan Emergent Senegal (PSE), which includes eight key policy initiatives intended to revitalise the economy, has attracted less investment than expected. No major investments have been made to support the project and the government will be keen to resolve bilateral negotiations over revenue sharing to get production underway as quickly as possible. Efforts to increase electricity supplies nationwide, in particular, have been slow to take off. Senegal estimates that the additional energy that it receives from the development of the Guembeul-1 well will enable it to be completely energy sufficient and become a regional exporter of electricity once gas production has begun. This will also be crucial to economic growth; the World Bank has estimated that persistent electricity outages between 2006 and 2011 reduced annual growth in Senegal by around two percentage points.

The Guembeul-1 project will also bring long-term benefits to Mauritania. The gas development will allow Nouakchott to diversify its economy away from its dependence on the mining sector, which accounts for 70 percent of its exports and 30 percent of its state budget, and has been hit hard by the fall in global commodity prices. According to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).......................See more
 
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