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Savannah Petroleum has announced a third discovery in the Agadem Rift Basin and is exercising an option for a fourth well. The Kunama-1 well in the R3 portion of the R3/R4 PSC Area was drilled to a total depth of 2,460 metres and encountered nine metres of oil-bearing reservoir sandstones in the primary Eocene Sokor Alternances objective. The well is being suspended for future re-entry.

Morocco’s Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (Onhym) is playing down reports of an offshore discovery by Genel Energy with the Sidi Moussa 1 well. Partner San Leon Energy on 20 October said the well had reached a total depth of 2,825 metres and encountered oil during drilling operations. Onhym head Amina Benkhadra told African Energy oil traces had been found in secondary layers, but more work was needed to confirm a significant find. She said Onhym was putting in place plans to partner international oil companies if one of the many companies exploring in Morocco made a discovery.

DP World Group of the United Arab Emirates has started work on a 30-year concession to develop and manage a multipurpose port in the Somaliland commercial capital of Berbera. The $442m project, to be developed in two phases, aims to create a new trading hub for East Africa. The project will include the construction of a 400-metre quay and 250,000m2 yard extension, and the creation of a free zone offering tax advantages and investment incentives.

BBOXX on 11 January announced it was expanding operations in Democratic Republic of Congo through a partnership with Netherlands-based component manufacturer Victron Energy. The pair are targeting sales of large pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar systems in towns and cities across the country.The systems will use BBOXX’s PAYG model and Victron’s energy components. BBOXX already sells 50W systems in rural areas of Goma, which has a population of more than 1.5m and suffers frequent blackouts, but is hoping that its partnership with Victron will facilitate sales to urban businesses of larger, 0.5-5kW systems.

Under a strategy favouring renewable energy that is driven from the royal palace, Morocco is developing one of the continent’s most strategically planned and vibrant energy sectors. Supported by banks and financiers in commercial hub Casablanca, the kingdom has developed an extremely active project pipeline across a wide range of technologies; this draws on diverse procurement strategies that have attracted very significant levels of official and private finance.

Brazil’s Vale has given the UK’s Kentz Corporation a follow-on contract for Phase 2 of the Moatize Coal Mining Project in Tete Province, one of the largest coal mining operations in Africa. Kentz was awarded the Phase 1 contract in 2009. Kentz’s Construction Business Unit will provide structural, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and piping construction services for the coal processing and handling plant, crusher, stackers, reclaimers and conveyors. Moatize is Vale’s biggest investment in Africa. Coal production started in July 2011, and the coal is carried along the Sena railroad to the port of Beira, from where it is shipped to export markets.

Israeli miner Elenilto has dropped out of Block SL-07A-10 offshore Sierra Leone, leaving it to be licensed to newcomer Minexco Petroleum with 90% and Signet Petroleum with 10%. Elenilto said on 15 August it had been awarded a majority stake and operatorship of the block

Sonatrach signed a memorandum of understanding with the Iraqi Ministry of Oil on 19 April to examine the potential to develop the Al-Nasiriya oil field. Sonatrach could also provide a range of expertise in the upstream, pipeline construction and downstream infrastructure, according to agreements signed with Sonatrach head Abdelmoumen Ould Kaddour during a visit to Algiers by ministry technical director Dhia Kamar Safar.

Office National de l’Electricité (ONE) has invited expressions of interest to prequalify to build a 150MW wind farm 12km from the Taza region. Tenders will be issued in Q1 2011, ONE said in its EoI announcement, for the project to serve as the first

Kellogg, Brown & Root International (KBR) has given Egypt’s Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) two construction contracts for the civil works and piling installation of a new liquefied natural gas train in Skikda being developed by Sonatrach.

Aminex has farmed out a 12.5% interest in the planned Likonde-1 well on the Ruvuma licence to Solo Oil, whose executive chairman is Lonrho’s David Lenigas.

With the dust settling after Congo’s tumultuous election, which was widely believed to have been rigged by the ruling party, upstream activity is beginning in earnest, but for new arrivals the implications of the death of a key presidential adviser may be profound

The Ministry of Energy is seeking bids from consultants interested in conducting a feasibility study for the 100MW Kholombidzo hydroelectric power plant on the Shire River. The study, financed by the African Development Bank, will look at the technical and economic feasibility of the project, social and environmental impacts, investigate options for damming or diverting water flow, and prepare preliminary engineering designs and cost estimates.

Project company JCM Matswani Solar Corp is seeking expressions of interest (EoIs) from potential engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and operations and maintenance (O&M) contractors for the 40MW Salima solar photovoltaic project. JCM Matswani is owned by Canada’s JCM Power, InfraCo Africa Ltd – part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group – and South African investment company Matswani Capital Ltd.

The scramble for oil has created some surprising alliances between local politicians and international oil companies, drawing attention to the gap between what may be unethical and what is illegal, writes Adrian J Browne