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ALGERIA: Touat start-up in 2013; ANGOLA: Mafumeira Norte start-up; ANGOLA: Supply base for Block 31 development; CAMEROON: New energy minister named in cabinet shuffle; EGYPT: Dana brings Sondos field into production; GHANA: First Subsea mooring connectors for Jubilee FPSO; NAMIBIA: Brazilian farm-in approved; SEYCHELLES: Infoterra completes seeps survey

After years of talk, the five governments supporting the Western Corridor (Westcor) project – Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, and South Africa – have decided to shelve the scheme to provide electricity from the planned 3,500MW Inga III to the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

ANGOLA: New find on Block 31; ANGOLA: First oil from Morsa West; ANGOLA: Total gives CGGVeritas 4D inversion project; CHAD: New find for CNPC; EGYPT: BG begins Phase V gas production from WDDM; EGYPT: East Mediterranean Gas in repricing deal; LIBYA: Petrobras drills in Area 18; MOROCCO: New gas find for Circle; NIGERIA: Oando wins swamp drilling contract; NIGERIA: Acergy to revamp Mobil platforms

New find on Block 31 Sonangol and BP have announced an 18th discovery on ultra-deep Block 31 with the Oberon-1 well. Located in the southern part of the block some 4.3km north-east of the Dione discovery,the well was drilled in a water depth of 1,624metres, reaching a total depth of 3,622 metres. Test results confirmed the capacity of the reservoir to flow more than 5,000 b/d under production conditions.First oil from Morsa West Process system integrators DPS have announced the start of oil production from Sonangol’s shallow water Morsa West field. The marginal field development project was awarded to Angola Drilling.

Total and its partners have contracted CGGVeritas for a seismic reservoir characterisation project involving the inversion of 4D seismic data covering the Dalia,Rosa,Girassol and Jasmine fields. CGGVeritas subsidiary Hampson-Russell Software & Services will undertake the inversion work. “Having proved this technology in the North Sea, this is an important opportunity to apply it inWest Africa,” said Philippe Doyen,Vice President, R&D, Hampson-Russell Services. “With the increasing number of 4D vintages available over producing fields, global4D inversion is better constrained and yields results that are more readily interpretable in terms of production effects.

Norway’s InterOil Exploration & Production has signed an agreement with Iran’s Petropars to sell 10% in the CabindaNorth licence for $7m. The 2,400km2 block is operated by Sonangol P&P and InterOil farmed-in in January 2008, taking21%. The block has existing oil discoveries in the Zila ridge area near the coast and in the Dinge high area. Sonangol has 20%;other partners on the block are SOCO International with 17%, Teikoku Oil Company (17%), Angola Consulting Resources(Acrep) (15%) and Eni Angola (10%).

Energy Minister Emanuela Vieira Lopes and Vice Minister of Industry Kiala Ngone Gabriel signed a much-anticipated memorandum of understanding with Norway’s Norsk Hydro ASA in early May, to take plans to develop an integrated hydroelectric power (HEP) and aluminium production project onwards to the feasibility stage.

Petroceltic raises $40m; Roc brings Argentines into Angola

Underlining the extent to which its membership of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries is hampering plans to raise its output, Angola has formally written to OPEC secretary-general Abdullah Al-Badri requesting exemption from implementing its production target obligations (AE 160/1). The call for “special consideration”

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) is to provide a $120m credit facility to back the import of US products and services as

IOCs and local corporates are getting to grips with a complex new law on Angolanisation, which puts pressure on companies to employ local contractors and staff, in senior roles

Following the end of its civil war, Angola has become an increasingly assertive regional player, reflected in a number of security deals – projecting the powerful Forças Armadas Angolanas (FAA) beyond Angola’s borders, notably in Brazzaville and Kinshasa – and in its determination to support Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe.

Construction companies may be enjoying a boom, but bureaucracy remains pervasive in Angola, with a heavy impact on business and the electricity sector

Lower oil prices and production cuts put Angola’s astronomic growth forecasts into question, but OPEC’s newest member remains bullish about its business prospects

Compliance with OPEC quotas said to be carried out with little complaint