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Australian indie Invictus Energy has substantially increased the estimates for the Mukuyu-1 gas prospect in the Cabora Bassa Basin in Zimbabwe, following a new study by London-based consultants ERCE.

Canada’s Reconnaissance Energy (ReconAfrica) announced on 28 June the spudding of the 1819/8-2 well in northeast Namibia, the first in a four-well exploration programme in the frontier region.

Industry actors in the Kenyan oil and gas sector are adopting a wait-and-see approach towards the 9 August presidential election, with many anticipating a change in regime following the vote.

Eni’s Coral Sul floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) platform will dispatch its first cargo “within a few days”, EU high representative Josep Borrell said on 8 September. The senior EU diplomat was talking in Maputo, where he also committed European backing to the Rwanda military mission to Mozambique.

According to Senegal's President Macky Sall, Phase II of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) offshore LNG development will require $5bn investment, with production start anticipated in 2024 or 2025.

Kudu field operator BW Energy has purchased a semi-submersible drilling rig, Leo, for $14m to be repurposed as a floating production unit (FPU) to supply a nearshore 420MW jack-up barge power plant. Gas from the 130 mcf/d capacity FPU will be dispatched to Elizabeth Bay by a 195km subsea 12-inch pipeline, BW said in a 25 August half-year results presentation.

A typhoon in Qidong, China on 15 September unmoored the recently-completed floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel for phase one of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) liquefied natural gas (LNG) development. The vessel will process gas from four ultra-deep-water wells at the export project’s 2.45m t/yr first phase.

The 3.4m t/yr Coral-Sul floating liquified natural gas (FLNG) vessel has arrived offshore Mozambique, France’s Technip Energies announced on 2 February. The ship had left South Korea in November. The FLNG will be used by the Eni-led Coral LNG project in Area 4 of the Rovuma Basin.

Anadarko and its partners have given a consortium of Saipem, McDermott International and Chiyoda Corporation an engineering, procurement and construction contract for the Area 1 onshore liquefied natural gas project in northern Mozambique.Saipem said it would lead the CCS joint venture project, and its share of the contract would be worth $6bn.

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation has finalised two agreements with the government which will allow it to design, build and operate the marine facilities for its liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in northern Mozambique. This follows the publication of government decrees approving the agreements, known as the “marine concessions”.Anadarko is developing Mozambique’s first onshore LNG plant, consisting of two initial LNG trains with a total capacity of 12m t/yr to support the Golfinho/Atum field located entirely within Offshore Area 1.

Two studies under way on regional gas usage and associated economic development for the Nepad Business Foundation (NBF) are scheduled to be completed in June.The NBF is working with the Southern African Develop-ment Community (SADC) Secretariat to develop the first phase of the SADC Gas Masterplan and working with Mozambique’s Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos on potential domestic uses of gas from the Rovuma Basin. Chris Carnegie of the NBF told African Energy stakeholders were encouraged to get in touch to participate.

The Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy has awarded contracts for domestic gas development projects to three of the 14 companies who bid last year in a tender for projects to utilise gas from the Rovuma Basin development.Norway’s Yara International was granted an allocation of 80-90 mcf/d of gas to produce 1.2-1.3m t/yr of fertilisers and 30MW-50MW of power. Royal Dutch Shell subsidiary Shell Moçambique BV was granted 310-330mcf/d of gas to produce 38m b/d of liquid fuels (diesel, naphtha and kerosene) and 50MW-80MW of power.

The government’s National Petroleum Institute (INP) launched a sixth licensing round on 25 November, covering 16 new oil and gas blocs. Results are expected to be announced in October 2022.

ExxonMobil announced on 13 December the completion of a transaction by ExxonMobil Development Africa BV to acquire a 25% indirect interest in Mozambique’s Area 4 from Eni and assume responsibility for midstream operations. The deep-water Area 4 block contains an estimated 85tcf of natural gas in place.ExxonMobil will lead the construction and operation of all future natural gas liquefaction and related facilities, while Eni will continue to lead the Coral South floating LNG project and all upstream operations.

The US Export-Import Bank said on 22 August its board planned to vote on a $5bn loan for the Area 1 Mozambique LNG project. A statement said it had notified Congress of the transaction, which would be voted on after a 35-day congressional notification period. If approved, the transaction would support US exports of goods and services for the engineering, procurement and construction of the onshore LNG plant and related facilities. “These US exports are facing direct competition from financing offered by foreign export credit agencies,” the statement said.