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The start of production from Repsol’s Reggane North gas field from January 2018 confirms that the long-awaited contribution of production from Algeria’s south-western gas fields is now a reality. On 18 December, the Spanish company confirmed that the fields would produce at full capacity of 8mcm/d from the start of next year.

Dana Petroleum has signed concession agreements for the West Dakhla 1 and 2 areas in the Western Desert. The company said the blocks were awarded through the Ganoub El-Wadi Petroleum Holding Company’s 2010 licensing round. Activities in the initial exploration phase of three years include an aeromagnetic survey and 500km of 2D seismic. “These two concessions in the Western Desert are a welcome addition to the exploration portfolio. This, along with the award of the South Wadi Dara Block in the Gulf of Suez we announced at the end of 2013, will help us build our exploration activities in Egypt,” said Egypt managing director Paul Barnett.

Shares in African Petroleum Corporation began trading on Oslo’s junior Axess market on 30 May, following the appointment of a new management team. Chief executive Stuart Lake told Global Pacific & Partners’ Africa Independents’ Forum in London on 3 June that the company planned to drill two wells a year for the next three years on its West African offshore acreage. “We’ve been rebuilding the company from the bottom up, sorting out the governance, sorting out the finances. Now we’re looking at bringing in partners,” he said.

Total has signed an agreement with the local Conoil Producing Ltd to farm into the deep offshore OPL 257 licence with a 40% interest. Conoil remains the operator with a 50% interest, and a smaller local company holds the remaining 10%. Total will be the technical advisor.

Austria’s Andritz Hydro will supply, install, supervise and commission electromechanical equipment for the 2,067MW Lauca hydroelectric power plant. The company told African Energy the deal includes supply of six 340MW Francis turbines as well as generators and other equipment. The order was received from the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project, Brazil’s Odebrecht, on behalf of the state Gabinete de Aproveitamento do Médio Kwanza. Lauca will be located on the Kwanza River, around 47km downstream of the Capanda Dam, and is expected to generate enough power to supply 750,000 people.

The prospect of Central African Republic eventually emerging as an oil producer is exciting a growing number of potential investors, including an aggressive New York-based private equity player, Chinese arms manu-facturers, Gulf-based interests and a Brussels-based ‘NGO’ that won’t discuss its operations, as well as Colorado-based veteran Jack Grynberg.

With a new transitional government in place, talks are making progress with the state Office des Mines Nationales et des Industries Stratégiques (Omnis) on a resumption of exploration work in Sterling Energy’s offshore acreage, according to the AIM-listed company’s exploration director Philip Frank.

Murphy Oil and Austria’s OMV have farmed into two offshore blocks in the Luderitz Basin held by Brazil’s Cowan Petróleo e Gás. OMV will take 25% while Murphy will be the operator of the joint venture, with an interest of 40%. Cowan will retain 20% equity, with the remaining 15% held by National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia. The joint-venture partners plan a 3D seismic programme starting in Q2 14. The blocks 2613 A and B are immediately north of acreage held by Brazil’s HRT.

A new company specialising in acreage in aspiring independent states has teamed up with a firm owned by a Puntland presidential candidate to explore a block offshore Somalia, writes William Macpherson. Belize-registered Kilimanjaro Capital has announced a farm-in agreement with Amsas Consulting, owned by Puntland 2014 presidential election candidate Dr Ali Abdullahi, for the Amsas-Coriole-Afgoye Block, which is presently under force majeure. Kilimanjaro will obtain a 5% non-working interest in the block,

As Ophir Energy weighs options for development of its Block R gas, the company has signed a non-binding letter of intent with Petrofac to act as development operator up to the final investment decision. This role is expected to include preparing and issuing a field development plan for the project, and co-ordinating the upstream and midstream elements. Ophir has also held discussions with a number of floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) vessel providers. The company said it had received several proposals, a number of which have been shortlisted for further assessment with non-binding letters of intent signed on 20 February in Singapore.

The Ministry of Mines, Industry and Energy has sanctioned Noble Energy’s development plan for the Aseng oil field in Block I and production is set to start in 2012.

Total has signed an agreement to sell its fuel marketing and services businesses in Liberia and Sierra Leone to West African distribution business Conex Oil & Gas Holdings.The assets consist of a network of 63 service stations, general trade fuel sales and petroleum products import and storage operations.The sale is expected to be completed during Q2 2020. “These sales will contribute to Total’s ongoing divestment programme and demonstrate our ability to relentlessly highgrade our portfolio,” said Total chief financial officer Jean- Pierre Sbraire.

The Ministry of Energy has awarded licences for two oil blocks in the Tano Basin after evaluating bids received in the country’s first licensing round, which launched in October 2018. The companies will now be invited for negotiations on detailed terms, the ministry said. Eni and Vitol were awarded Block WB03. Eni, which will operate the licence, said that beside Vitol the joint venture would include Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and a local company to be identified during the phase of contract finalisation.

While Mozambique’s liquefied natural gas projects line up buyers, progress remains stalled in neighbouring Tanzania. Norway’s Equinor says it is still waiting for talks on a host government agreement (HGA) for its planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. “Equinor, on behalf of the partners in Block 2, has agreed with the government to start negotiations on the host government agreement for the planned Tanzanian LNG plant in Lindi. We have no updates at this time on the timeframe for the negotiations,” a spokesman told African Energy.

The governments of Mauritania and Senegal have agreed on an offshore site about 8km from the coast on the maritime boundary as the location for gas processing and liquefaction facilities for the Tortue development. A statement from Mauritania’s oil, energy and mines ministry said minister Mohamed Salem Ould Bechir and his Senegalese counterpart, Thierno Alassane Sall, had discussed the project by telephone on 9 June.