AfrOil - Africa Oil & Gas

North African hydrocarbon producers turn to mature fields as Europe seeks new supplies

North African oil and gas producers are investing in mature assets to lift output and respond to changing European demand.

Equatorial Guinea awards Transocean $80mn ultra-deepwater drilling contract

Transocean has secured an $80mn two-well drilling contract in Equatorial Guinea for its "Deepwater Conqueror" ultra-deepwater drillship, with the campaign due to begin in 2027.

Kenya discusses Turkana pipeline and 1,000-MW LNG plant alongside $16bn Dangote refinery

Kenya says construction of Dangote’s planned $15bn-$16bn Lamu refinery will begin on September 30, with talks also under way on a Turkana crude pipeline and 1,000-MW LNG power plant.

Nigeria’s Dangote refinery IPO puts Africa’s refining shift in focus

Nigeria, Africa's oil producer, spent decades exporting crude while importing much of its petrol, diesel and aviation fuel. That began to change when the Dangote refinery came online.

Senegal taps Eni to assess five offshore oil and gas blocks

Senegal has signed a MoU with Italian energy major Eni (BIT: ENI) to evaluate five offshore oil and gas blocks as the West African country seeks new investment following the start of hydrocarbon production.

Nigeria reviews oil block screening after years of stalled development

Nigeria’s upstream regulator NUPRC is reviewing how it qualifies oil & gas bidders, warning years of stalled projects had exposed financing, technical and governance weaknesses among some licence holders.

Nigeria begins new phase of cooperation with the International Energy Agency

Nigeria has begun a new phase of cooperation with the IEA following a visit to Abuja by IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.

Saipem wins $350mn Angola offshore contract from Azule Energy

Saipem has won a $350mn offshore contract from Azule Energy for Angola’s Agogo Integrated West Hub, covering subsea infrastructure and local fabrication at Ambriz.

Angola targets $13bn of gas investment under five-hub industrial plan

Angola plans to mobilise investment worth $13bn in five industrial hubs under a Gas Master Plan aimed at expanding domestic gas use and supporting industrialisation.

Ghana to second engineers to Kosmos in Texas as upstream investment push grows

Ghana’s petroleum regulator has agreed to second engineers to Kosmos Energy (NYSE/LSE: KOS) facilities in Texas, strengthening technical oversight as the African country seeks fresh upstream investment.

African frontier gas projects to shift from exploration towards commercialisation

African frontier gas exploration is entering a more technical phase as operators move from making discoveries to reservoir definition, planning developments and securing commercial viability.

Nigeria’s oil output rises 0.4% as crude meets OPEC quota, NUPRC notes Erha recovery

Nigeria’s crude oil and condensate production rose 0.4% to 1.678mn bpd in August, while crude-only output effectively met its OPEC quota.

Senegal lays first pipe for $319mn national gas-network link

Senegal has laid the first pipeline for an 85-km gas-transmission link connecting the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) hub with the planned Gandon power plant, marking the start of physical construction on the first section of its national gas network.

Australian gas explorer Invictus awards SLB contract for Musuma-1 well in Zimbabwe

Invictus Energy Limited (ASX: IVZ, OTCQB: IVCTF, VFEX: INV) has awarded SLB a well services contract for the Musuma-1 exploration well at its Cabora Bassa Project in Zimbabwe, with drilling still on track to begin in November, the company said.

South Africa’s CEF targets up to 650,000 bpd in Sapref refinery rebuild

South Africa’s state-owned Central Energy Fund (CEF) has outlined plans to rebuild the former Sapref refinery in Durban with capacity of at least 400,000 barrels per day, potentially rising to 650,000 bpd.

Chinese teapot refiners ramp up purchases from West Africa, Canada and South America

Chinese independent refiners are stepping up purchases of crude from West Africa, Canada and South America as supplies from Iran and Russia tighten, helping push spot premiums to multi-month highs.

Eni, Vitol target Ghana oil revival with offshore blocks

Eni and Vitol are moving towards new offshore exploration agreements in Ghana as the West African producer tries to reverse an oil-output decline that has persisted since 2019.

Angola projects more than $70bn oil and gas investment as majors sign deepwater deals

Angola projects more than $70bn in oil and gas investment over five years as Shell, Chevron, TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil and other majors sign new deepwater exploration agreements.

ExxonMobil picks Saipem-Jan de Nul for upstream work at Rovuma LNG project in Mozambique

ExxonMobil Mozambique has selected a consortium of Italy’s Saipem (BIT: SPM) and Belgium’s Jan de Nul for the upstream engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract for the Rovuma LNG project in Mozambique’s Area 4.

Côte d’Ivoire formalises PETROCI subsidiary to operate Espoir oilfield

Côte d’Ivoire's government has authorised the creation of PETROCI CI-26, a wholly owned subsidiary of state-owned PETROCI Holding, to take over and operate Block CI-26, which contains the Espoir oilfield.

Corcel secures Angola approval to lift KON-16 stake ahead of 2027 drilling

Africa- and Latin America-focused energy company Corcel (AIM: CRCL) has received final Angolan government approval to consolidate its controlling interest in onshore oil and gas Block KON-16 as it prepares for exploration drilling in 2027.

Chevron plans more Angola Block 0 investment as LNG throughput reaches 1bn cfpd

Block 0 is among Angola’s longest-producing and most important offshore concessions. Its licence was extended in 2021 by 20 years to 2050, giving Chevron and partners a longer runway to develop new discoveries and replace ageing infrastructure.

Africa Energy Bank launch pushed to November after latest delay

The long-delayed AEB is now being targeted for a November launch, two months later than its most recent official timetable, as African governments push to build a new source of financing for oil, gas and other energy projects across the continent.

QatarEnergy agrees planned 30% stakes in two Angola offshore blocks

The agreement, concluded with Angola's petroleum concessionaire and regulator, covers Blocks 8 and 22 offshore Angola.

ExxonMobil-led venture makes new offshore oil discovery in Angola's Block 15

ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) and its partners have made a new hydrocarbon discovery in Angola’s Block 15, where the Vicango Este-01 well encountered about 25 metres of high-quality sandstone with 22% porosity, regulator ANPG said on September 9.

Nigeria regulator warns flare-gas awards could be revoked after one-year progress review

Nigeria’s upstream petroleum regulator has warned that awards under the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP) could be revoked where developers fail to show sufficient progress at a review conducted one year after an award

Rashal Energies targets January 2027 completion for Dar es Salaam gas pipeline serving industrial plants

The project is part of Tanzania’s push to expand domestic use of its natural gas resources, cut reliance on more expensive fuels and extend gas access to industry, transport and households in Dar es Salaam.

Synhelion signs MoU with Morocco for $1bn synthetic fuel plant

Dangote’s planned $16bn Kenya refinery faces crude supply, financing hurdles

The Kenyan president’s chief economic adviser said the refinery in Lamu could eventually source about 600,000 bpd from Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan, which would cover about 86% of nameplate capacity.