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Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed Invictus Energy has begun rig mobilisation at Cabora Bassa in Zimbabwe, with drilling of the Mukuyu-1 well due to start in July, as the first part of a two-well gas exploration campaign.

Turkey’s Aksa Enerji has confirmed that it expects the 50MW Djéno gas-to-power (GTP) plant, which it is refurbishing, to achieve commercial operations in July or August. Aksa is carrying out the work under a May 2021 contract with the government; it will then operate the open cycle gas turbine (OCGT) plant under a 30-year concession.

The Ministry of Hydrocarbons has significantly expanded Democratic Republic of Congo’s oil and gas licensing round, which is due to start in late July, with 27 oil blocks and three gas concessions now included.

Algerian leaders have been enjoying the extent to which markets have shifted since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, allowing Sonatrach to deflect any downside from the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline (GME)’s closure as it redirects gas away from Spain to other more favoured European partners – all the while maintaining the regime’s traditionally strong strategic relationship with Russia. As widely predicted, Italy is the major initial beneficiary.

Angola’s ambitions to develop its gas resources took a step forward in late July when the partners in the New Gas Consortium said they had reached a final investment decision (FID) on the Quiluma and Maboqueiro gas project.

Sonatrach’s new production-sharing contract with Eni, TotalEnergies and Occidental Petroleum for a 100-well campaign to restore and boost output in Berkine Basin blocks 404 and 208 points to a further upturn of activity in Algeria, where the national oil company’s head envisages ‘three or four’ more big upstream contracts by end-2022, writes Dominic Dudley.

Mineral resources and energy minister Gwede Mantashe plans to create a new state-owned company – working title Generation 2 – to redevelop three of state utility Eskom’s coal-fired plants by converting them into gas-to-power units.

London AIM-listed Savannah Energy’s Nigeria-based subsidiary Accugas has signed an agreement with Notore Chemical Industries to supply the Onne, Rivers State-based company with up to 10 mcf/d of gas for one year, with the option to extend the deal.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on 15 September between Morocco’s Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (Onhym), Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) to progress the 7,000km Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) project.

An early September judgement confirming the Eastern Cape High Court’s rejection of Shell’s attempt to conduct seismic surveys along South Africa’s eastern coast will leave the government – and oil companies – with plenty of food for thought, as South Africa and many other countries look to produce more hydrocarbons in sensitive environments, James Gavin writes.

Just over a year after Eni announced the major Baleine offshore oil discovery momentum still appears to be strong in Côte d’Ivoire's upstream sector.

Moves by the South African and Mozambican governments to take control of the Rompco pipeline showed the fundamental shift in Pretoria’s strategic view, as big beasts Eskom and Sasol look to decarbonise. There is significant potential for a regional gas economy – underlined by urgent action to end the jihadist insurgency in Cabo Delgado – but past politics and indecision is tempering optimism, writes Dan Marks

A 6 February cabinet meeting approved the development plan for Anadarko’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Area 1 of the Rovuma Basin. The consortium partners plan to develop an LNG facility initially with two 6m t/yr trains to process gas from the Golfinho/Atum field in Area 1. Capacity will be expandable to 50m t/yr. The facility will be built on the Afungi peninsula in Palma district, at the northern end of Cabo Delgado province.

The Eni and ExxonMobil-led Mozambique Rovuma Venture has submitted a development plan to the government for the first phase of the Rovuma liquefied natural gas (LNG) project at Afungi, which will produce, liquefy and market natural gas from the Mamba fields in Area 4.The plan details the proposed design and construction of two LNG trains which will each produce 7.6m t/yr of LNG.

Final government approval for the Mozambique Rovuma Offshore Area 1 Project development plan is expected shortly, according to partner PTTEP. Announcing its 2017 annual results on 26 January, the Thai company said the development plan was in the process of final approval from the government, which was expected in early 2018.PTTEP said the project had already achieved several key milestones, including government approval for the legal and contractual framework, as well as official approval for the marine concessions.