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Another boost for Mozambique’s upstream industry was announced on 24 May, when state-owned giant China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) signed exploration and production (E&P) contracts with ENH for five offshore blocks.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s decision to pay Portugal’s Galp some $1.15bn for a 10% stake in offshore Area 4 offers further evidence of Mozambique’s LNG improving prospects, even though the Cabo Delgado insurgency hasn’t gone away.

Updated May 2024 this map focuses on the hydrocarbons sector in Mozambique. Blocks are shown that are open, licensed and offered under the 6th licensing round. Block operators and oil and gas fields are marked, alongside associated mid- and downstream infrastructure such as pipelines, tanker terminals, refineries, gas processing plants and LNG facilities. An inset provides a closer look at the Ruvuma Basin gas fields, LNG projects and associated infrastructure (actual and planned) on either side of the Mozambique/Tanzania border. The map is available as a PDF file using eps graphics, meaning that there is no loss of resolution as the file is enlarged.

New York-listed miner Barrick Gold, one of Africa’s largest commercial and industrial (C&I) offtakers, has added solar PV capacity and battery storage to its Loulo-Gounkoto gold mine in western Mali and has started a similar project at Kibali mine in DRC, writes Marc Howard.

Public and institutional opposition have all but killed off a plan to award an unprecedented 40% production share in NOC’s largest undeveloped oil and gas field to international partners. African Energy has been given access to a large dossier of leaked documents which helps to explain what brought the deal to this point, writes John Hamilton.

African Energy’s investigation into National Oil Corporation (NOC)’s large budget and the failings at two of its most important upstream oil and gas projects shows how events at the national oil company holds significance far beyond the small number of oil majors and their partners who are directly involved. Understanding how Libya’s hydrocarbons sector is being run is a matter of vital concern to the Libyan people, whose futures are tied to its success or failure. The investigation should also be of prime interest to a wide range of African Energy subscribers, including those involved in renewable and thermal power or the trade in gas and liquid fuels. Sooner or later, resolving the problems that African Energy is exposing will require the involvement of businesses across the whole energy sector spectrum.

London-AIM listed Afentra has completed a deal to acquire stakes in Angola's offshore blocks 3/05 and 3/05A, from BP/Eni joint venture Azule Energy.

The direct award of a large oil field redevelopment contract to a small local group with no known track record has prompted allegations of corruption and raised potentially awkward questions for international companies involved in the Dahra field. It has also had serious political repercussions, as minister Mohammed Aoun was dismissed in March after going public with his concerns about the deal. African Energy has scrutinised government reports and correspondence between officials and Halliburton to get a sense of what has gone wrong.

The Kaminho project to develop the Cameia and Golfinho fields in Block 20/11 has reached a final investment decision, as operator TotalEnergies and partners Petronas and Sonangol seek to open up the offshore Kwanza Basin and supply some gas to CCGT units that will serve the Angolan power grid.

Libya’s oil sector governance is under fire as never before, with Presidential Council head Mohammed Al-Menfi asking National Oil Corporation to explain its multi-billion-dollar spending over the past two years. With oil production flatlining and gas production at risk of severe decline, Libya needs new field developments, but two of its biggest projects have become mired in allegations of corruption. With potential ramifications for all those operating across a range of sectors in Libya, African Energy has been investigating these issues and more for a series of articles based on extensive source enquiries and documentary evidence.

Angolan state utility Prodel has announced that the Luachimo hydroelectric plant’s rehab is complete and its capacity has been quadrupled. The project is part of the government’s 2023-27 plan to diversify its energy mix by incorporating about 72% of renewable energy and achieving a 50% electrification rate.

The African Development Bank is seeking a consultant to carry out a feasibility study for a floating solar power project on the Kariba dam, a major source of water and electricity for Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Cape Town-based NOA Group has concluded the purchase of the 350MW Khauta solar PV cluster in Free State province from Germany’s Pure New Energy. Chief executive Karel Cornelissen provided African Energy with details of NOA’s plans for the Khauta projects and beyond.

Chariot has plugged its RZK-1 well in Morocco’s Loukos onshore licence area after deciding its gas was uneconomic to develop, but the British indie has quickly moved on to drill the nearby OBA-1 exploration well.

IFC and the Italian Climate Fund are investing in Eni’s project to increase biofuel feedstock production and processing in Kenya.