Conoil Producing, owned by Nigerian billionaire Dr. Mike Adenuga, has officially begun exporting Nigeria’s newest crude oil grade, the Obodo blend—marking a major milestone for the country’s indigenous oil industry. Unveiled in April under Adenuga’s leadership, the Obodo blend represents a new chapter in Nigeria’s oil production. It is a medium sweet crude sourced from the onshore OML 150 block, operated under a production sharing contract with NNPC Limited. Continental Oil & Gas Limited, a
Scatec ASA has officially commenced construction of the 1.1 GW Obelisk solar power plant in Egypt, which includes a 100 MW/200 MWh battery energy storage system. Electricity generated from the project will be sold under a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC), backed by a sovereign guarantee and priced in U.S. dollars. The project will be developed in two phases. The first stage, featuring 561 MW of solar capacity
Egypt’s parliament has approved two new oil exploration and production agreements, paving the way for the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources to finalize contracts with Russian energy major Lukoil. The first agreement grants exploration and production rights in the South Wadi El-Sahl region of the Eastern Desert to the South Valley Egyptian Petroleum Holding Company and Lukoil Overseas Egypt Ltd. The second agreement authorizes a joint venture between the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation and
Debswana Diamond Company has confirmed that the Orapa No. 2 processing plant is currently undergoing its annual scheduled maintenance during the month of May and has not been shut down, contrary to recent media reports. The company clarified that the temporary plant stoppage is part of routine operational procedures aimed at ensuring continued efficiency and reliability. This clarification follows misleading claims suggesting a full halt in operations. Debswana emphasized that the maintenance shutdown is a
Woodside Energy has approved a $17.5 billion investment to construct a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Louisiana, marking the first major U.S. LNG project to reach final investment decision (FID) since President Donald Trump returned to office and declared an energy emergency aimed at expanding American energy exports. The announcement positions the U.S. to further solidify its status as the world’s largest LNG exporter. The Louisiana facility will feature three liquefaction trains with
Lucara Diamond is under increasing financial pressure as it seeks additional funding to maintain liquidity and complete the delayed underground expansion of its Karowe mine in Botswana — the company’s sole producing asset. In its first-quarter 2025 results, CEO William Lamb confirmed that Lucara had received approval from lenders to draw $28 million from its cost overrun reserve account. The reserve is part of a $61.7 million facility provided by Nemesia, Lucara’s largest shareholder and
AIM-listed Vast Resources has announced the discovery of an additional 6,055.35 carats of gem-quality diamonds within a sealed parcel previously held in Zimbabwe, following a recent inspection by the Kimberley Process. The previously unknown diamonds were identified during the formal inspection process. The entire parcel, including the newly discovered stones, is currently in Dubai for final sorting ahead of cleaning and preparation for sale. Last month, the company confirmed the release of the historic parcel,
De Beers has announced plans to shut down its lab-grown diamond jewellery brand, Lightbox, and shift its focus back to natural diamonds as it contends with falling prices, weak demand, and tariff uncertainties. “As part of the closure process, De Beers is in discussions with potential buyers regarding the sale of certain assets, including inventory,” the company stated on Thursday. De Beers first launched Lightbox in September 2018, marking a significant shift from its long-standing
BW Energy has announced a major oil discovery at the DBM-1 ST2 appraisal well within the Dussafu license offshore Gabon, marking the second successful sidetrack of the well. Drilled to a total depth of 4,731 meters, the well encountered approximately 11 meters of net oil pay within a 35-meter gross hydrocarbon column in the Gamba reservoir, located in the Bourdon prospect. The Bourdon discovery is estimated to contain 56 million barrels of oil in place,
ASX-listed Lucapa Diamond Company, with operations in Angola and Australia, has posted strong operational and financial results for the quarter ended March 31, showing year-on-year increases in carat recoveries, grade, revenue, and diamond prices. Lucapa reported a 6% increase in carat recoveries to 6,027 carats, along with a rise in the number of special diamonds—those weighing over 10.8 carats—from 51 in Q1 2024 to 54 in the current quarter. While diamond sales volume dipped 4%
