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Offshore oil and gas production is unaffected by the worsening crisis following the presidential election. Aberdeen-based DOF Subsea has just announced a £1m contract for inspection, repair and maintenance services at

Sonangol has awarded 11 blocks in a restricted bid round for pre-salt blocks in the Kwanza Basin. The round was never publicly announced and 13 companies were invited to bid. Sonangol will have an average 35% stake in each block, while the China

Polish businessman Jan Kulczyk has sold his 8% stake in Ophir Energy as the company approaches the development stage on two big projects. Founding shareholder Kulczyk sold 56.6m shares on 28 April at 140p/share, well below the 250p price at which the stock launched in 2011. Ophir plans to develop 3.4tcf of gas on Equatorial Guinea Block R via a floating liquefied natural gas development, but says it will need to bring in a partner before a final investment decision.

The UK’s Aminex plc is looking to fast-track development of its Kiliwani North (KN) gas discovery with a short-term solution until the nearby Songo-Songo gas field’s Songas facilities can be upgraded.

Aker Energy Ghana issued a letter of intent (LoI) on 20 February to Yinson Production West Africa and its related companies for a FPSO for the Pecan field development. The LoI is for a bareboat charter agreement with FPSO owner Yinson Gazania Production Ltd (YGPL) and an operation and maintenance agreement with Yinson Gazania Operations Ltd for an initial ten years, extendable to 15 years.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources is seeking a consultant to assist with the development of the planned Somali Petroleum Authority (SPA). The SPA will act as the industry regulator; its mandate is outlined in the 2017 petroleum bill, which is awaiting parliamentary approval. The bill, amending the 2008 petroleum law, was approved by cabinet in 2017. In June 2018, the federal government and federal member states reached an agreement on ownership, management and sharing of Somalia’s oil and mining revenues.

The government has received 21 bids for 14 of the 27 blocks offered in its licensing round, which closed in September, and plans to announce awards in Malabo on 26 November. Speaking during a country presentation at Africa Oil Week on 7 November, energy and mines minister Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima said bids for EG-27, EG-23, EG-18, EG-09, EG-03, EG-04 and EG-29 had been fully evaluated and would be signed by the end of November while the rest would need more time.

A sharp decline in gas production and exports has reignited fears about the health of reserves and Algeria's failure to find any major new deposits in recent years, writes John Hamilton. With hydrocarbons production and exports expected to shrink in 2011 – when export revenues are predicted to fall from a forecast $44.2bn in 2010 to $42.2bn – Algeria’s ability to meet its medium/long-term gas supply commitments is again in question.

The Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons has signalled a tough new line on local content regulations, announcing on 17 July that it had ordered oil companies operating in the country to cancel all contracts with Canada’s CHC Helicopters.Oil companies operating in Equatorial Guinea have been given 60 days to unwind contracts and find new suppliers, with only those companies in compliance with the local content provisions established in 2014 allowed to bid for contracts.

Sound Energy has changed its plans for the Tendrara gas discovery and now plans a fast-track early production project, after plans to sell down a stake in the licence stalled. Sound said it now planned to prioritise early cash flows from the concession from a micro LNG scheme for the TE-5 Horst field with first gas planned for 2021. The micro LNG scheme will be pursued alongside the full field development plan, centred around a 120km pipeline development.

Trident Energy has announced that a 4D seismic survey began on 22 January on Block G. The acquisition is being carried out by Polarcus Naila and the survey is expected to take 45 days, covering an area of 340km2. A 4D survey consists of 3D data acquired at different times over the same area to assess changes in a producing hydrocarbon reservoir over time.

The Ethiopian authorities are making progress on plans to create a national oil company, which will handle the government’s participations in licences and work to accelerate exploration and production, but the institution’s name and key operational issues have yet to be decided, senior oil official Ketsela Tadesse told African Energy.

US developer ContourGlobal is hoping for first gas by the end of the month at the trailblazing KivuWatt methane gas power project on Lake Kivu. The facility aims to produce up to 100MW from four units extracting methane dissolved in the deep water of Lake Kivu, reducing the risk of a potentially catastrophic release of the gas (AE 296/1). The barge-mounted gas-collecting unit for the first 25MW phase has been moored in position on the lake, and riser pipes are being connected to the separators. The pipes and separator will then be lowered under the barge and begin extracting gas, which will initially be flared until all the equipment is commissioned and gas can be piped to the onshore power plant at Kibuye.

The Algerian security services achieved their main aim of eliminating the Islamist militants who had invaded the In Aménas gas processing plant, but the loss of life and wider concerns about deteriorating Sahara/Sahel risk pose critical questions about operations in the region.

Total Gabon has made a first discovery in Gabon’s new pre-salt play with the Diaman #1B well on the Diaba Block (AE 253/12). The well was drilled to a total depth of 5,585 metres, and encountered 50-55 metres of net hydrocarbons in the target pre-salt formations, which Total’s partner Cobalt International said were thought to be gas and condensate. The well was drilled in 1,729 metres of water, more than 100km from the nearest commercial pre-salt discovery.