Oil prices edged up on Tuesday 30th of January, following a more than 1% decline in the previous session, driven by escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, a major oil-producing region. Brent crude futures increased by 7 cents, or 0.07%, reaching $82.46 a barrel by 0734 GMT. Meanwhile, U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose by 15 cents, or 0.31%, to $76.93 a barrel. Both contracts experienced a drop of over $1 on Monday 29th
Diamond exploration and project development company, Botswana Diamonds, has completed a geological survey over four high-grade geophysical targets in the southern African country. Preliminary results suggest that at least one of the targets give a strong indication of kimberlites. Situated approximately 6km from the existing KX36 diamond discovery, the gravity survey will be repeated and correlated with previous results before the company commences exploratory drilling operations. “This is the first strong indication of additional kimberlites
Nigerian oil company the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has launched a tender inviting private operators to operate and maintain the West African country’s Port Harcourt oil refinery. The tender aims to engage operations and maintenance companies that will ensure reliability and sustainability at the refinery to meet Nigeria’s fuel supply needs while ensuring energy security. The scope of the contract will cover various refinery business processes, including optimization of operations, maintenance, health and safety,
Another three billion dollars in debt financing is required for the financial close of the five-billion-dollar East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), according to TotalEnergies’ shareholders meeting records for 2023. Designed to transport crude oil from Lake Albert in Uganda to the Port of Tanga on the Tanzanian coast, the 1,443-km megaproject is currently in its Engineering, Procurement and Construction phase and is estimated to be at least six months away from a Final Investment
South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has published a Gas Amendment Bill to bring legislation in line with more recent government policies and developments in the country’s gas sector. The amendment bill, which has been made available for public comment, is expected to expand South Africa’s gas industry by addressing sustainability and competitive trade, while facilitating integrated energy projects as part of the sector’s development goals. The document establishes new regulations aimed at
Mutapa Mining and Processing (MMP), a consortium of Mozambicans and British that has for 18 months been operating three mines in the district of Manica, in the province of the same name, intends from this February to process and export between 35 and 40 kilograms of gold monthly. The projection is the result of prospecting carried out over the last 18 months by the consortium which, in a first phase, invested in the equipment and
About 150,000 fuel stations run by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) have been sanctioned to receive fuel supplies from the newly built private Dangote refinery. This was disclosed after a meeting between the officials from the Dangote refinery and executives of IPMAN. Fuel cost after the supply still remains unknown as there has been no full disclosure on the subject. A report from the Punch Newspaper disclosed that executives from the Independent
British Multinational oil and gas company shell, is set to divest the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), which holds onshore oil assets in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The sale, valued at $1.3 billion, involves a consortium primarily composed of local energy entities including ND Western, Aradel Energy, First E&P, Waltersmith, and Petrolin. Additional payments of up to $1.1 billion are anticipated and the completion of the transaction is contingent upon
DE Beers will go ahead with a planned $1bn investment to extend the life of its flagship Jwaneng mine in Botswana, said Reuters citing the diamond firm’s CEO Al Cook. The investment would proceed even as the 2023 downturn in gem demand persisted, the newswire added. The Anglo American unit and the Botswana government, which jointly own Debswana Diamond Company, have approved the spending that will convert the Jwaneng pit into an underground operation, said
The African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank) has disbursed a $2.25-billion loan to support the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in bolstering services across the petroleum value chain and improving the country’s macroeconomic stability. The loan is part of a $3.3-billion financial package extended to the NNPC by Afreximbank, Gunvor International BV and Sahara Energy Resources Limited. In addition to restoring stability, the loan serves to facilitate Nigeria’s access to import financing for raw materials and essential
