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New Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye pointedly opted for Nouakchott as the destination for his first official foreign trip, ending a long tradition of starting in France and underlining his Pastef party’s pan-African agenda. Investors will be watching closely as discussions with Mauritanian President Mohammed Ghazouani centred around the potential for renegotiating the joint Greater Tortue Ahmeyim LNG development’s terms, writes Waly Dione Faye.

Invictus Energy has signed an agreement with gold miner Dallaglio Investments and manufacturer Himoinsa to develop a gas-fired power plant to supply the Eureka gold mine, using gas from the Cabora Bassa Basin.

A number of reports point to the cash-strapped government of South Sudan agreeing to borrow up to $12.8bn from a Dubai-based company owned by a junior member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, with the debt to be repaid in discounted oil shipments over 20 years. But with plenty of calls on South Sudan’s dwindling oil income, and ever more junior sheikhs turning up with African mega-deals, questions are mounting about what could be, in an ideal world, a transformational deal.

Operator Kosmos Energy has set a new goal for first gas production at Senegal’s offshore Yakaar-Teranga (Y-T) field, where a shakeout in equity is expected to give state company Petrosen a bigger role. Meanwhile a source has told African Energy that any renegotiation of contract terms for the Sangomar development is expected to be initiated after the 100,000 b/d field starts first production.

Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Bin Maktoum Al-Maktoum’s Alpha MBM Investments has aligned with Abu Dhabi-based Venom Blockchain to develop central bank digital currencies and stablecoins in Uganda, Somalia and CAR, as the ambitious junior member of Dubai’s ruling family and interests in Abu Dhabi move further into African business.

SDX Energy will receive $6.6m for its stakes in West Gharib blocks G and H. A deal to sell its other Egyptian asset, South Disouq, is still the subject of negotiations. The Egypt exit will allow the London AIM-listed firm to focus on its operations in Morocco.

Revised May 2024, this graphic combines maps providing a detailed view of energy infrastructure across Niger, complemented by charts showing key economic data. The top part of the graphic consists of a map showing the locations of power generation facilities that are operating, under construction or planned. Generation sites are shown by type – including liquid fuels, coal, hybrid, hydroelectricity, solar (PV) and wind. A second map shows open, free/unassigned and licensed oil and gas acreage, with a third map providing a more detailed look at the oil fields and prospects/leads in the Agadem Rift Basin.

Ahead of his expected late June re-election, President Mohammed Ahmed El Ghazouani is presiding over a potentially fast-changing Mauritania that can expect new revenues from its joint GTA gas field with Senegal and potentially more long-term investment plays that exploit its minerals reserves, P2X potential and route to the sea, write Marc Howard, Waly Dione Faye and Jon Marks.

A major source of natural gas for South Africa could be constrained as soon as 2025, with declining reserves at Mozambique’s Pande and Temane fields potentially leading to supply shortages. South Africa will need to secure new sources of feedstock if it is to develop the gas-to-power projects that many see as essential to provide baseload for the renewable energy sector that African Energy Live Data shows is gaining momentum.

Africa-focused indie Afentra has gained approval from the Angolan government to buy a 12% non-operating interest in Block 3/05 and a 16% non-operating interest in Block 3/05A from the BP/Eni joint venture Azule Energy.

National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) has signed an agreement with  Chevron for the offshore PEL 82 licence area. Namibia is hoping the deal could encourage more majors to come into the Walvis Basin, in the hope of replicating the Orange Basin’s exploration success further south.

French energy giant Engie is aiming to offload a minority stake in the 1,250MW Safi coal-fired plant as part of a wider shift away from coal and towards renewable energy.

Inauguration of the 8MW solar PV plant at Fort Dauphin ilmenite mine marks the official roll-out of a pioneering commercial and industrial (C&I)  project, which also includes wind power and battery storage.

Recently-elected President Faye has vowed to boost on-grid renewable energy capacity and phase out the use of expensive liquid fuels for power generation. Analysis from African Energy Live Data shows this is a continuation of a trend set by his predecessor Macky Sall. However, the phasing out of HFO also relies on the country tapping into its substantial gas reserves and Faye’s pledge to renegotiate hydrocarbons contracts makes some nervous.

Construction work is nearly complete on a 15MW coal-fired plant to supply power to Sabi Star’s lithium mine in Zimbabwe’s Buhera district. African Energy takes a closer look at one of Zimbabwe’s three biggest lithium projects.