Norwegian renewable energy developer Scatec is reducing its presence in sub-Saharan Africa by selling stakes in three South African renewable energy projects. This move comes after the company recently sold a plant in Rwanda and divested from operations in Mozambique. In the last week of July 2024, Scatec divested its indirect interests in hydropower plants located in Uganda, Malawi, and at the border of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Burundi. This follows
The Royal Ghana Gold Refinery, which will process 400 kilograms of gold daily, primarily sources raw materials from artisanal and small-scale mines. These mines contribute about one-third of Ghana’s annual gold output of roughly 4 million ounces, according to Bloomberg. Bank of Ghana Governor Ernest Addison stated that the refinery will play a crucial role in curbing gold smuggling, a persistent issue in the country, by providing a ready market for artisanal and small-scale miners.
Nigerian refineries, including the Dangote Refinery, have raised their domestic crude oil requirements for the second half of 2024 to 597,700 barrels per day (bpd), up from 483,000 bpd in the first half, according to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). This increase in demand comes despite limited domestic supply. The NUPRC reported that it secured only 177,777 bpd from oil producers during the first half of the year, far below the refiners’ requests.
B2Gold, a Canada-based precious metals miner, has revised its 2024 production guidance downwards due to lower-than-expected output from its Fekola mine in Mali. The company now forecasts total production between 800,000 and 870,000 ounces for the year, including 20,000 ounces from the recently sold Calibre Mining. This is a reduction from the previous range of 860,000 to 940,000 ounces, which had included 40,000 to 50,000 ounces from Calibre before its sale in June. The drop
The Coral Sul floating platform, located off the coast of northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, has exported 4.48 million tonnes of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) between November 2022 and June 2024, through 63 shipments. Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi announced these figures during his annual state of the nation address to the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic (AR), on Wednesday. Nyusi highlighted this achievement as the fulfillment of a long-held national aspiration and a
London-listed Petra Diamonds has postponed its August/September tender to align with actions by major producers aimed at restricting supply in response to weaker market demand. The rough diamond parcels from Petra’s South African operations, initially slated for sale in the first tender of the 2025 financial year, will now be included in the second tender, scheduled to close in mid-October. This decision does not affect the tender schedule for diamonds from Petra’s Williamson mine in
Ivory Coast’s Council of Ministers has approved production-sharing agreements with Eni for four oil blocks. Under the deal, a minimum of $80 million will be invested in blocks CI-504, CI-526, CI-706, and CI-708 over an initial three-year exploration period, the council said in a statement. The world’s top cocoa-producing nation is hoping to become a major regional oil and gas producer and energy hub and expects oil output to more than triple by 2027, boosted
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has granted Nigeria $500 million to overhaul its electricity infrastructure and boost access to cleaner energy. In a statement released by the bank on Thursday, the African lender said the loan will finance the first phase of the Economic Governance and Energy Transition Support Program (EGET-SP). The statement read: “The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved a loan of $500 million to the Federal
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has launched a new crude oil grade, the Utapate blend, into the global market. Sourced from Oil Mining Lease (OML) 13, which is fully operated by NNPC Ltd.’s upstream subsidiary NEPL, the Utapate crude oil blend began operations in July 2024, with its first shipment destined for Spain. Located offshore Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, the Utapate blend currently produces 28,000 barrels per day (bpd), with the potential
TotalEnergies and Bujagali Energy Ltd. have signed an agreement to invest in energy projects in Uganda, reflecting TotalEnergies’ commitment to renewable energy across Africa and supporting the continent’s energy transition. The agreement includes TotalEnergies acquiring a 28.3% stake in the Bujagali hydropower plant in Jinja, Uganda, which has a capacity of 250 MW and significantly contributes to the country’s electricity supply. Additionally, TotalEnergies will acquire minority stakes in two other projects under development in Rwanda
