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Sonatrach is hoping that competition between major gas developers will lead to keen bidding for a stake of up to 49% in the three Ahnet gas fields, which are being offered again as a minimum 4bn m3/yr development package by Agence Nationale pour la Valorisation des Ressources en Hydrocarbures (Alnaft) in its second oil and gas licensing round, launched on 30 June (AE 166/4).

The Middle East Oil refinery (Midor) has signed two agreements with Honeywell subsidiary UOP aimed at expanding the refinery with an investment of $1.4bn. Petroleum minister Sherif Ismail said the expansion of the refinery aimed to increase production capacity to 160,000 b/d from 100,000 at present, as part of the ministry’s plan to increase local fuel production. Midor chief executive Mohamed Abdel Aziz said that, once the expansion was complete, the refinery would be able to produce up to 245,000 tonnes of butane gas, 1.3m tonnes of gasoline, 3.2m tonnes of diesel oil, 570,000 tonnes of coal and 135,000 tonnes of sulphur.

The Islamic Development Bank signed a $200m loan agreement on 11 February to support the construction of the 45MW M’Dez and 125MW El Menzel hydroelectric power stations. The two plants form the M’Dez El Menzel complex, which is a key development for the Upper Sebou River.

The AEEP Status Report unveiled at the Africa-EU Energy Partnership’s second high-level meeting in Addis Ababa on 12 February has provided an indicator of progress in meeting a set of ‘political targets’ set in 2010 that it would be desirable to achieve by 2020. Among the most important of these is data for generation from renewable energy (RE) technologies, compiled for the AEEP Secretariat, operated by the EU Energy Initiative Partnership Dialogue Facility in Germany, and compiled by a multi-disciplinary team from African Energy’s parent company Cross-border Information (CbI).

Sonatrach and Total on 10 April signed a comprehensive agreement strengthening their existing partnership in Algeria. Total said the agreement enables the two companies to expand their partnership by progressing new upstream projects, notably with a new contractual framework for the Timimoun gas project, continued joint operations for the Tin Fouye Tabancourt (TFT) gas field under a new agreement, and joint development of a new project, as well as what a Total statement described as “the amicable settlement of outstanding differences between the two companies”.

Energem Biofuels expects to produce its first jatropha oil by mid-2010 on the Bilene project in Gaza province, some 170km south of Maputo. Energem Energias Renovaveis de Moçambique (EERM) launched a project in February 2007 to establish and manage plantations on up to 60,000ha of suitable land. Energem Biofuels chief executive Thomas Swithenbank told African Energy $10m had been invested so far.

Statoil has farmed into the ExxonMobil-operated Tugela South exploration right, taking 35%. Partner Impact Oil & Gas said the licence would enter into its second period later this year, during which the government-agreed work programme comprises the acquisition of 1,000km2 of 3D seismic and other geology and geophysics studies. The information obtained from the initial studies and seismic survey will form the decision basis for the co-venturers’ next steps in the Exploration Right, Statoil said. Impact acquired Tugela South in 2011 and shot two 2D seismic campaigns in 2011 and 2012, identifying a number of prospective leads and prospects in the acreage.

Tullow Oil has reiterated that the South Lokichar project remains on track for a final investment decision in late 2019 and first oil in 2022, despite the suspension of trucking of stored crude due to protests by the local community. The Early Oil Pilot Scheme (EOPS) was launched with much fanfare on 3 June with a ceremony at the Ngamia 8 site attended by President Uhuru Kenyatta, deputy president William Ruto, the Turkana County governor and local MPs.

Bid documents will be released in March for the Liberia Energy Efficiency and Access Project. The project aims to expand the transmission and distribution network in the Roberts International Airport corridor as well as from Pleebo to Fish Town in eastern Liberia, near the border with Côte d’Ivoire; develop energy access in nearby areas; build human and technical capacity at the Liberia Electricity Corporation, the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy, the Rural and Renewable Energy Agency, and the Environmental Protection Agency; and improve energy efficiency.

Western governments are determined to interdict the Indian-flagged tanker containing a cargo of Libya crude sold to an Emirati buyer by the Cyrenaica-based parallel management of National Oil Corporation (NOC). On 27 April, the vessel was located in waters south-east of Malta, having been turned back by the authorities in Valletta the previous day. Failure to prevent it from unloading the cargo and completing the transaction in defiance of a United Nations Security Council resolution banning unauthorised crude exports would destroy the credibility of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA).

Zimbabwe appeals for funds but international investors remain wary

China’s Powerway has announced plans to invest $160m in a 100MW solar plant through regional subsidiary Powerway South Africa. The Herald newspaper said Powerway would develop the plant in partnership with local renewables company Mobility Holdings. “The response we got from the local authorities is very encouraging and we hope to finalise the necessary paperwork so that the project can commence in the next few months. We also hope to engage your government with a view to ensure that the 100MW that we expect to generate will be fed into the national grid in order to reduce the power deficit Zimbabwe is currently faced with,” the paper quoted Powerway SA managing director Charles Domingo as saying.

Addax Bioenergy’s Makeni project in Sierra Leone has been registered as a clean development mechanism (CDM) project with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the first project in Sierra Leone to do so. 
The $300m complex, which consists of a sugarcane estate, a bioethanol refinery and a biomass fuelled cogeneration facility, has been criticised by local and international lobby groups.

The World Bank Group on 30 September approved a $519m package for the 350MW second phase of the Noor-Ouarzazate concentrated solar power (CSP) project. The 160MW first phase is being developed by Saudi company Acwa Power. The financing package comprises $400m from the World Bank and $119m from the Clean Technology Fund. Phase II involves the construction of two separate power plants: 150MW-200MW Noor II, a parabolic trough CSP facility, and 100MW-150MW Noor III, a CSP tower. Land has been acquired for both plants.

Tangiers Petroleum has opted to withdraw from the Tarfaya Offshore block, its sole asset, following the unsuccessful Tao-1 well. The company will either transfer its 25% stake to operator Galp Energia, or withdraw when the licence expires in February 2015. Tangiers said the well had gone over budget but it had paid its $18.56m share of the cost, leaving it with just A$1.25m in cash. The company was previously headed by former Woodside Energy vice president Eve Howell, who resigned in February amid opposition from a group of shareholders to a planned merger with Jacka Resources.