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Algeria’s council of ministers has approved the sale of an 18.375% interest in the Isarene production-sharing contract (PSC) to Enel Trade SpA (Enel); Doris Engineering has given UK-based Jee a contract for specialist subsea and riser engineering for the deep-water Kaombo pipeline system on Total’s Block 32; Operator SOCO International has encountered non-commercial hydrocarbons in the Makouala Marine-1 exploration well on the Marine XIV licence; Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) has extended the deadline for its licensing round to 29 March; Golden Crescent Investments, a Citadel Capital opportunity-specific fund, has agreed to sell its interest in National Petroleum Company Egypt Limited (NPC Egypt) to Canada’s Sea Dragon Energy; Hess has issued a letter of award to Seadrill to enter into an eight-well drilling contract for the semi-tender rig West Esperanza; Australia’s Tangiers Petroleum plans to list on London’s Alternative Investment Market on 3 February and has begun a 677km2 3D seismic acquisition programme in its offshore Tarfaya Block; Circle Oil has completed the construction phase of the new Sebou-Kenitra 8-inch pipeline; TVI Pacific has opted not to take part in the second exploration phase for the Tenere Block with China National Petroleum Corporation; PA Resources has sold its stakes in the Ezzaouia and El Bibane oil-producing fields to Candax Energy for $4m
Royal Dutch Shell, Total and Eni’s local subsidiaries have completed the sale of their interests in two oil mining leases in the Niger Delta, raising $488m.
Dakar port has opened a new container terminal, described by Dubai-based developer DP World as West Africa’s largest and most modern. Following a concession agreement signed in 2007,
Production at the Chinese-built Zinder refinery in southern Niger will begin this month, and the government is seeing growing interest from explorers, according to Ousseini Assane Boureima, director of exploration at the Mines and Energy Ministry.
Least known among ERHC Energy’s new Chadian blocks is Manga, located north of Lake Chad, along the border with Niger. This is among several unfashionable locations in the region attracting renewed interest as frontier explorers look to diversify and governments look to book new reserves and appease populations in marginal areas
Operator China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) has spudded the Facai-1 well on the Ténéré permit after lengthy delays to exploration caused by security concerns
The West African Development Bank (BOAD) has agreed a loan of FCFA20bn ($41m) to the Niger government to fund the expansion of the capital’s main power plant. Capacity at the Goudel plant will be expanded to 65MW from 35MW to improve supply to the Niamey region. Most of Niger’s power comes from the Kandji dam in Nigeria, which supplies towns in the south and centre-east. Northern Niger is supplied through local production by Niger coal company Sonichar, which also supplies power to Areva’s uranium mines.
China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) is due to start production by end-2011 from the Agadem field in eastern Niger. Ousseini Boureima of the Mines and Energy Ministry told Global Pacific & Partners' Africa Upstream conference
MOROCCO: Record consumption; NIGER: Kandadji deal; SOUTH AFRICA: Eskom signs first carbon credits deal; CONCENTRIX SOLAR: CPV pilot at South African game reserve
ALGERIA: Sonatrach makes two Illizi finds; ALGERIA: Petroceltic raises $120m in share placing; ANGOLA: Sinopec buys overseas upstream assets; EGYPT: Aegean Energy widens horizons; NAMIBIA: Block 1711 extension; NIGER: CNPC to drill again; TUNISIA: Two new licences for Shell; UGANDA: Dominion to drill in June
The return of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua from Saudi Arabia, where he has been in hospital for more than three months, is threatening to undermine acting president Goodluck Jonathan’s efforts to consolidate his position and derail attempts to get the Niger Delta ceasefire and controversial oil sector reforms back on track (
BURUNDI: Substation rehab, grid protection; CAPE VERDE: Lighting supply; DR CONGO: Snel management support contract; MALI: O&M contract for HFO plant; MALI: 25MW unit planned for Taoussa dam; MOZAMBIQUE: European capacity-building contract; MOZAMBIQUE: Multi-purpose dams to power centre; NIGER: Kandadji dam studies and supervision order; TOGO: Power rehab tender
ERHC ENERGY: AIM listing plans; TG WORLD: Loan facility, Niger hopes
The Congo river is most usually seen as a world-scale hydro resource, with its basin straddling the Equator ensuring a minimum water flow able to sustain a project as large as the 50GW Grand Inga scheme. But the impact of negative trends in regional hydrology could put even Africa's mightiest potential hydroelectric power (HEP) resource at risk, according to some analysts.
