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Savannah Petroleum has announced a second discovery on the R3 portion of the R3/R4 area in the Agadem Rift Basin. The Amdigh-1 well was drilled by the GW 215 rig to a total measured depth of 2,469 metres, and encountered 22 metres of oil-bearing reservoir sandstones in the E1 and E2 reservoirs within the primary Eocene Sokor Alternances objective. The well is being suspended for future re-entry and the rig will move to the Kunama-1 well site, 12km from Amdigh-1, to drill the third well in the current three-well drilling programme.

Société Nigérienne d’Electricité (Nigelec) is inviting expressions of interest from consultants to supervise construction and advise on the addition of 20MW to the Gorou Banda diesel plant in Niamey.

The Agence du Barrage de Kandadji invites prequalification bids by 5 July for the construction of a double-circuit 132kV transmission line between the Kandadji hydropower station and Niamey, as well as a new high-voltage substation at Gorou Banda.

Savannah Petroleum has kicked off its exploration drilling programme with an oil discovery on the Bushiya prospect. Savannah’s acreage consists of areas relinquished by China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) in the Agadem Rift Basin, offering low-risk exploration on existing plays. The Bushiya-1 well on the R3 portion of the R3/R4 contract area was drilled by the GW 215 rig to a total measured depth of 2,200 metres and encountered an estimated ten metres of net oil-bearing reservoir sandstones across two intervals (three metres and seven metres) in the primary Eocene Sokor Alternances objective.

London-based Savannah Petroleum spudded the first well in its three-well drilling campaign on 31 March on the R3 portion of the R3/R4 PSC Area in the Agadem Rift Basin of south-east Niger. The Bushiya-1 well is designed to test the oil potential of the Eocene Sokor Alternances as the primary target, with a secondary target of potential oil pay in the Eocene-Oligocene Upper Sokor. The company has contracted the GW-215 rig from China’s Great Wall Drilling Company for a three-well campaign with options for a further six wells.

The General Secretariat of the West African Power Pool (WAPP) is seeking an engineering consultancy to manage and supervise the construction of the 330kV Nigeria-Niger-Benin/Togo-Burkina Faso North Core project, as well as a project director to act as head of the Implementation Management Unit (IMU). Expressions of interest for the consultancy are invited by 10 April, while applications for the project director job are due by 2 May.

Algeria’s Sonatrach has announced a discovery on its Kafra Block in the Termit-Tenere Rift Basin. Speaking on a visit to Hassi Messaoud in southern Algeria, Sonatrach director-general Adelmoumen Ould Kaddour said there had been “very positive indicators recorded in recent days on a new hydrocarbons discovery made by Sonatrach in Niger”.

Société Nigerienne d’Electricité (Nigelec) invites prequalification applications by 28 February for the design, supply and installation of equipment, and commissioning of a 19MW solar photovoltaic (PV)-diesel hybrid power plant in the central city of Agadez. The contract, to be co-financed by the Agence Française de Développement and the European Union, also requires the operation and maintenance of the project for two years before its transfer to Nigelec.

Savannah Petroleum has announced plans to raise up to $250m through a share placing with institutional investors to fund the acquisition of Seven Energy’s assets and the expansion of its planned exploration drilling in Niger from three to five wells. London-based Savannah will acquire an interest in the producing Uquo and Stubb Creek oil and gas fields in the south-east Niger Delta and 20% in Seven’s Accugas midstream gas processing business for about $270m.

Savannah Petroleum has given more details of its planned acquisition of Seven Energy, outlining a lock-up agreement for the acquisition of specific assets. AIM-listed Savannah will acquire a 40% participating interest in the producing Uquo oil and gas field, 62.5% in Universal Energy Resources Limited, which holds a 51% participating interest in the producing Stubb Creek oil and gas field, and an interest in the Accugas Limited midstream business, along with its 260km gas pipeline network and associated gas processing infrastructure, potentially in conjunction with third-party investors.

National utility Société Nigérienne d’Electricité (Nigelec) has released a general procurement notice for the African Development Bank-funded Rural, Peri-urban and Urban Electrification Project (Pepern).

The board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative has agreed to suspend Niger, saying the country has not done enough to meet the EITI’s requirements on civil society engagement. The board said Niger had made progress against key issues in the 2016 EITI Standard but that significant areas of concern needed to be addressed. Niger was the world’s fourth largest uranium producer in 2016 behind Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia. The country has produced uranium since the 1970s, coal since 1975, gold since 2004 and crude oil since 2011.

With new generation capacity increasing fuel costs, electricity tariffs will rise from 1 January 2018 for the first time since 1994. A cabinet meeting on 6 October approved new tariffs for end-users of electricity services supplied by Société Nigérienne d’Electricité (Nigelec) for the period 2018 to 2022. The government’s decision is based on a tariff study commissioned by the Autorité de Régulation du Secteur de l’Energie au Niger.

The Niger Solar Electricity Access Project, agreed this summer by the World Bank Group, commits $45.55m in soft International Development Association credits for a programme costing nearly $50m. One of Africa’s poorest countries will receive support for stand-alone solar systems ($7m), rural electrification through service-based solar hybrid mini-grids ($8.2m) and the hybridisation of isolated thermal mini-grids and expansion of access ($22.46m); there is also $7.89m for implementation support and technical assistance.

The Niger Solar Electricity Access Project, agreed this summer by the World Bank Group, commits $45.55m in soft International Development Association credits for a programme costing nearly $50m. One of Africa’s poorest countries will receive support for stand-alone solar systems ($7m), rural electrification through service-based solar hybrid mini-grids ($8.2m) and the hybridisation of isolated thermal mini-grids and expansion of access ($22.46m); there is also $7.89m for implementation support and technical assistance.