Connect with us

Business

Five Key Licensing Rounds Coming Up in the MSGBC Region

Published

on

MSGBC

As the MSGBC gas rush gathers steam, five offshore licensing rounds are set to transform the region – (By Elllit Connor)

DAKAR, Senegal, June 22, 2022/APO Group/ — 

By Elllit Connor, Energy Capital & Power’s Field Editor for the MSGBC region (https://EnergyCapitalPower.com/)

To be featured in a flagship roundtable forum at the MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power Conference 2022 (https://bit.ly/3zV8HnJ) this September, every one of the MSGBC Basin’s nations – Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Guinea-Conakry – have executed active offshore licensing rounds or have confirmed plans to do so this year.

To date, about 9 billion barrels of oil equivalent has been discovered in the region and with many nations launching their first major licensing rounds, exploration is set to increase exponentially in the coming decade and production will likely follow.

Active in the region are several international oil majors namely, Australia-listed, FAR; supermajors Shell, TotalEnergies, Exxonmobil and bp; London-listed, Harbour Energy (previously, Premier Oil); Norway’s PetroNor; Iraq’s Star Oil; China’s Addax Petroleum; Malaysia’s Petronas; America’s Kosmos Energy; Algeria’s Sonatrach; London-listed, Capricorn Energy and; Ireland’s Tullow Oil – the latter two currently in the process of merging.

For the lucrative region, the 2022 event will attract a slate of investors, new and established from across the globe – new licensing opportunities luring international oil companies (IOCs) to the table for this unprecedented year for both the region and industry. On this note, here is what you need to know about the latest licensing rounds across the MSGBC region.

Mauritania (https://bit.ly/3zV8HnJ)

About 9 billion barrels of oil equivalent has been discovered in the region and with many nations launching their first major licensing rounds

A partner of Energy Capital & Power (https://EnergyCapitalPower.com/) for the event, Mauritania’s National Oil Company (NOC), La Société Mauritanienne des Hydrocarbures (SMHPM) has released a record 28 new offshore blocks for bidding this year, numbered 1 through 36 and surrounding the existing C-7, C-8, C-10, C-12, C-15 and C-31 blocks operated by bp, Capricorn Energy, Shell and TotalEnergies. The country’s known megafinds include over 20 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas in C-8’s BirAllah and Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) fields.

Senegal

Senegal’s Ministry of Petroleum and Energy launched its first major offshore licensing round with twelve blocks in early 2020, set to be followed by a second potentially larger round this year whose details await announcement– likely by the end of July. A regional industry leader, Senegal has seen over 160 exploration wells drilled with a hydrocarbons sector stretching back to the mid-1980s. Its notable reserves discovered in the past decade include 500 million barrels of oil at Woodside’s Sangomar field, 15 tcf of natural gas at bp’s GTA (shared with Mauritania), and 20 tcf of natural gas at bp’s Yakaar-Teranga.

The Gambia (https://bit.ly/39GqIeU)

The Gambia is approaching its second major licensing round – six blocks are already active, to be followed by five offshore blocks and two onshore blocks set for release this year. Bidding for these new blocks is expected to see interest from international megafirms following the announcement by FAR of a potential 1.5 billion barrels of oil unearthed in Gambian blocks A2 and A5, earlier this year. FAR is currently farming down its stake in this discovery, further opening up the field.

Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau’s Ministry of Energy, Industry and Natural Resources has recently opened up five blocks for bidding, under a special deep water tender round – noting that the Basin’s largest oil reserves in Senegal and The Gambia have been discovered in these comparable deep-water zones. Since national law states that no single operator may operate more than three blocks domestically, this development flags a key opportunity for a diversification of the current slate of oil majors in-country, across its 11 active blocks. Whilst early-stage drilling has not revealed any mega reserves to date, both oil and gas are known to be present, with fields mapped containing up to 100 million barrels of oil.

Guinea-Conakry

The most nascent player in the region’s hydrocarbons surge, Guinea-Conakry has seen five wells drilled to-date with no commercially viable oil or gas uncovered. However, with bidding terms being finalized on a 22-block licensing round, the country is now positioned for growth in partnership with a suite of megafirms currently entering the country to continue HyperDynamics and TotalEnergies’ earlier works. Under Precept 3 of the nation’s Natural Resource Charter, renewed exploration is a key priority for Guinea-Conakry, having already doubled its national petroleum budget in 2019, as a promising move towards expanding beyond the 55,000km2 territory, already covered.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power. Find out more energy news

Business

Ministers among hundreds of energy-sector leaders to attend AOW event

Published

on

Sinclair

The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors”

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

AOW: Investing in African Energy (https://AOWEnergy.com) – Africa’s leading oil, gas and energy event – has confirmed attendance for more than 80 ministers and senior officials, representing African governments, energy departments and regulators at next month’s event.

These influential stakeholders will be among the more than 1 600 senior delegates and industry leaders who will be attending the event to develop policy, share discoveries, secure investment, and shape Africa’s energy future.

The event kicks off with an invitation-only ministerial symposium focused on the theme of “Fostering innovation, attracting investment, and promoting sustainable growth in the oil, gas, and energy sectors.”

Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention

Among the officials and government ministers attending will be energy leaders from South Africa, Nigeria, Namibia, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Eswatini, Uganda, CAR, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Gabon, Malawi, Morocco, Zanzibar, Liberia, Senegal, Congo Brazzaville and Sierra Leone.

In addition, the event will feature high-level delegations from numerous national oil companies, as well as multilateral bodies including the African Union, (AU), African Energy Commission (AFREC), African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

AOW will see these energy leaders networking with C-suite executives and decision-makers from more than 760 top energy companies at daily networking events, to discuss insights, forge new relationships, and negotiate major energy deals.

“We are so excited to see the calibre of delegates at this year’s AOW event,” says Chief Executive Officer of Sankofa Events, Paul Sinclair. “Given the recent major oil-and-gas discoveries across Africa, the energy transition and major geopolitical events, it is clear that the energy sector needs positive intervention. The high-powered attendance proves AOW is a key platform to enable this intervention.”

Key themes to be discussed at this year’s AOW will be sustainable upstream development; expanding gas value chains; renewables and new energies; adoption of best-in-class technologies; and access to finance.

AOW: Investing in African Energy will culminate in a special anniversary party at Groot Constantia Vineyard to celebrate 30 years of the AOW event.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of AOW: Investing in African Energy.

Continue Reading

Business

Afreximbank approves US$20.8 million for Starlink Global’s cashew factory project in Lagos

Published

on

PAPSS

The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs

CAIRO, Egypt, October 4, 2024/APO Group/ — 

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) has approved a US$20.8 million financing facility for Nigeria-based Starlink Global & Ideal Limited to enable the company construct and operate a 30,000-metric tonne per annum cashew processing factory in Lagos.

We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria

According to the facility agreement signed in on July 22, 2024, Afreximbank will provide the funds in two tranches with the first tranche of US$7.48M going toward capital expenditure for the construction of the factory and the second, totalling US$13.25M to be deployed as working capital for the operations of the factory.

The facility is expected to promote value addition which will guarantee increased earnings to the company while also fostering the creation of about 400 new jobs once the factory becomes operational. It is also expected to support about 40 small and medium-sized enterprises.

Commenting on the transaction, Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra Africa Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank, said that by supporting Starlink Global to establish a modern processing facility, Afreximbank is making it possible for Africa to add value to its agro-commodities, thereby facilitating exports and subsequent inflow of much-needed foreign exchange into the continent.

“We are delighted at this partnership which promises to deliver significant impact on employment in Nigeria. It will contribute to value creation and to the development of the local community while also improving the lots of smallholder farmers and small business suppliers that will work with Starlink across the value chain,” Mrs. Awani added.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

Continue Reading

Business

Sonangol to Lead Decarbonized Oil & Gas (O&G) Development, Says Angolan National Oil Company (NOC) Head

Published

on

Sonangol

Participating in an on-stage interview at Angola Oil & Gas 2024, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins emphasized that oil and gas remains a core focus for the national oil company

LUANDA, Angola, October 3, 2024/APO Group/ — 

Angola’s national oil company Sonangol reiterated its commitment to driving sustainable hydrocarbon development during the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) conference this week. Speaking during an “In-Conversation with” session, Sonangol CEO Sebastião Gaspar Martins stated that the company will not abandon oil and gas, but rather advance decarbonized oil and gas development.

We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas

By investing in upstream oil and gas production while prioritizing low-carbon projects, Sonangol aims to boost national crude output, while diversifying and decarbonizing the industry. The NOC is focusing efforts on non-associated gas development, as well as alternative energy sources such as solar.

“We are looking at opportunities in the gas sector and have identified the right partner to develop non-associated gas. Gas produced from Angola LNG will be used for the production of fertilizer and we are evaluating the utilization of gas in the south of the country, linking gas with steel industries. We also have a blue carbon project, linked to the reduction of carbon through the plantation of mangroves. We have one area in Luanda and have identified four additional areas for this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

Sonangol has undergone transformation in recent years: following the creation of the National Oil, Gas & Biofuels Agency (ANPG) in 2019, Sonangol transferred its role as national concessionaire and regulator. This transformation has aimed to make Sonangol more competitive and strengthen its capacity as an upstream operator. Concurrently, the government is partially privatizing the NOC, with privatization set to be complete in 2026. This process will enhance financial capacity, allowing Sonangol to drive new upstream projects forward.

“The transformation of Sonangol started several years ago, when we passed the regulatory, concessionaire role to the ANPG. At the time, we transferred almost 600 employees to the ANPG. After that, Sonangol underwent a restructuring program where we created five core business units from 36 different entities – starting with exploration and production. We want to go public, but we want to do it properly. So, we are currently going through all the processes to do this,” stated Gaspar Martins.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

Continue Reading

Trending