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The latest development in the campaign to get Ghana and its oil industry partners to disclose details of their contracts illustrates just how haphazard the process can be. As a part of the Initial Public Offering (IPO) filing by Kosmos Energy with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), all of the petroleum agreements related to the Jubilee field are now available at the SEC website
Uncertainties within Sonatrach over feedstock supply have erased more than three years of progress towards a formal joint venture agreement between the Algerian authorities and Total on the construction of an estimated $7bn ethane cracker.
AIM-listed Petroceltic has raised $60m through a share placing with institutional investors to fund further drilling and appraisal in Algeria. In April, Petroceltic brought in Italy’s Enel as a partner on the Isarene permit, and the company now plans two more appraisal wells on the Ain Tsila gas condensate discovery (AE 208/12).
Silver Wave Energy, offshore blocks, Petroleum Agency of South Africa, impact assessment, Shell, Orange Basin Deepwater Area, western coast
The revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia during the first part of the year affected the company’s gas production in both countries, but operations are returning to normal. Fears that a week-long blockade of BG Group’s offices in the town of Nakta could lead to a shutdown of its Tunisia operations have receded after the company committed to employing more local staff and made other concessions.
A range of energy industry players and financiers are waiting to see if the president can create sufficient national consensus to provide the investment opportunities promised by CdI’s natural resource base and reconstruction needs, writes Thalia Griffiths
Egypt’s new leaders are keen to renegotiate export contracts with Israel and Jordan, which are accused of being sold gas at preferential prices. Court hearings took place in 2009 to challenge the Israeli deal in particular (AE 172/21). Prime minister Essam Sharaf said in April he hoped to boost Egypt’s income from gas exports by $3bn-4bn. Domestic energy shortages have also made the deals unpopular, and there is a de facto moratorium on new export projects.
The government has issued a licence for oil and gas exploration on Block 31 to South African company Rapid African Energy.
SOCO International is preparing to drill up to three offshore exploration wells, with the first well expected to spud in early September.
Anadarko has contracted TransOcean’s Deepwater Millennium drillship to join the exploration and appraisal programme in the Rovuma Basin. Partner Cove Energy said the ship would start work in Q4 2011.
Growing power demand and a steady pace of gas discoveries offshore Tanzania and northern Mozambique have encouraged planners to consider an LNG plant for Mombasa. The Indian Ocean port is set to become a major energy hub, writes Kimemia Mugo in Nairobi. Consultants Mott MacDonald are carrying out a second phase of studies for a potential liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification plant and import facility at Mombasa. The project, funded by the World Bank and other international lenders, is set to be the first of its kind in East Africa
ANGOLA: ROC Cabinda stake sale; ANGOLA: New find for Total; ANGOLA: Pazflor FPSO in place
China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) has extended by one year a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in May 2010 for the construction of three greenfield refineries and a petrochemical plant (AE 187/19). The MoU was renewed because Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had not completed the necessary feasibility studies.
BG Group announced on 17 May that it had signed production-sharing contracts with the government for offshore exploration blocks L10A and L10B in the southern Lamu Basin (AE 204/18). BG Group will be operator on both blocks, and the acquisition follows recent drilling success offshore Tanzania for the UK major.
