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National Oil Corporation chairman Shukri Ghanem appears to have defected to the opposition, taking with him vital intelligence on the regime's fuel supplies, in a major blow to Muammar Qadhafi's hopes of clinging to power, writes John Hamilton

Extending the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) to Abidjan has been mooted for many years, but the idea has gained new support in recent months as the pace of exploration offshore Côte d’Ivoire has picked up. An Ivorian energy official told African Energy the government was considering launching a feasibility study. Industry sources say Ivorian officials are optimistic about the prospects for significantly more gas reserves being confirmed soon, meaning that Côte d’Ivoire will have enough gas for domestic use and a surplus that could be exported.

Helios Investments’ Tema LNG Terminal Company Limited signed an agreement with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) on 2 September for the construction of a $350m liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal in Tema. CHEC, which is involved in the current Tema port expansion project, is constructing the marine facilities, while China’s Jiangnan Shipyard will construct the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU). The CHEC deal follows a 12-year gas supply agreement signed by Ghana National Petroleum Corporation and Rosneft in May for supply of 1.7m t/yr.

According to a report published in July by the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining, Juba is evaluating three alternatives for a new oil export pipeline that would end its dependence on two existing pipelines via Sudan. The three routes under consideration are: from Upper Nile State via Ethiopia to Djibouti; from Unity State to Lamu in Kenya; and from Unity State via Uganda to Mombasa in Kenya. The Lamu option would cost an estimated $4bn, while the other routes would each cost $3bn, according to the report.

Failure to resolve Tema Oil Refinery’s payment defaults is dragging down Ghana’s reputation as an African borrower of choice, and adds to the cost of oil imports, write Jon Marks and Kevin Godier

Global Energy is planning to plant castor as the first stage of a project to produce non-edible oil for the biodiesel industry. The Mozambique government has signed an agreement with Oilmoz to build a 350,000 b/d oil refinery. Sasol has selected Foster Wheeler South Africa to carry out a pre-feasibility study for the proposed Project Mafutha coal-to-liquids (CTL) facility .

No one doubts Dr Rilwanu Lukman’s pedigree in the Nigerian oil industry, but his return as oil minister last year, formalising his central role in shaping the Yar’Adua administration’s policy,

In August, a 600,000-barrel oil cargo for September lifting was awarded to China International United Petroleum & Chemicals (Unipec). But, according to an oil industry source, Unipec was invoiced to pay not the government of South Sudan, but Chinese arms manufacturer China North Industries Group Corporation (Norinco). This arrangement has not been made before, but there is precedent for a direct contract award by the Ministry of Petroleum and Mines to Norinco: in August 2013, the government sold a 600,000-barrel oil contract to the company.

The gas pooling arrangements that made possible the development of an LNG project in Angola could also be suitable for developing Libyan LNG trains, according to Total vice president for North Africa Jean-François Arrighi de Casanova

Vitol SA has been awarded the contract to be the exclusive marketer of Tullow Oil’s share of production from the Jubilee field

The Supreme Constitutional Court ruling on 9 June confirming Abdullah Al-Thinni as prime minister and ruling out the claim of his supposed successor Ahmed Maetig has been accepted by all sides and restored a degree of authority and unity to a country which has seemed on the verge of splitting in two over the past month. Thinni effectively returns to the role as caretaker in advance of elections to a new interim parliament – to be called the House of Representatives – scheduled for 25 June. It is not clear whether he will be able to revive the partial deal that he struck with the federalist groups blockading ports in eastern Libya in early April, nor whether he can impose central government control on retired General Khalifa Haftar, who has been conducting an unauthorised counterterrorism offensive against Islamist groups in Cyrenaica.

The unions don’t like it and neither do many northern politicians. But publicly, at least, a majority in government and business are behind the president’s efforts to remove subsidies on petrol, writes Leonard Lawal in Lagos

London-based Golar LNG has signed a preliminary heads of agreement with Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures (SNH) and Perenco Cameroon for the development of a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project located 20km off the southern coast. The agreement is premised on the allocation of 500bcf of natural gas reserves from Perenco’s offshore Kribi fields, which will be exported to global markets via the Golar Hilli vessel, now under construction at the Keppel shipyard in Singapore. Golar will provide the liquefaction facilities and services under a tolling agreement to SNH and Perenco as owners of the upstream joint venture.

Forces in Cyrenaica opposed to the United Nations-imposed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli have provoked a definitive challenge to its authority by blockading oil exports from the only major terminal still working in Libya. The damaging financial consequences of this action will be felt across the whole country, and the total shutdown of production – possibly within days – will also cause immense technical problems. But for those behind the action, such concerns may now be secondary as they attempt to shift the balance of the conflict in favour of the east, while also preparing for a likely military confrontation in the central zone presently dominated by Islamic State (IS).

Energy minister Elizabeth Dipuo Peters has ordered an audit to establish the reliability of six oil refineries following an increasing number of unplanned shutdowns