Independent oil company Perenco has committed $200 million to the construction of a new offshore gas platform, Kombi 2, located within the Kombi-Likalala-Libondo II (KLL II) permit area. Currently under construction at the Nieuwdorp shipyard in the Netherlands by engineering services firm Dixstone, the Kombi 2 platform is expected to produce approximately 7 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. The platform is scheduled to depart for Congo in October 2025 and is projected
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has announced plans to revive Anhui Congo Investissement (Sacim), a diamond mining company located in Miabi, Kasaï Oriental. Sacim is a joint venture between the Congolese state and China’s Anhui Foreign Economic Construction Corporation. Despite producing approximately 250,000 carats of diamonds each month, the company has recently struggled with operational, managerial, and social challenges. According to DRC’s Minister of Mines, Kizito Pakabomba Kapinga Mulume, the crisis
Egypt has launched a new round of gas exploration opportunities, offering 12 blocks to international energy companies in a bid to boost domestic production and attract foreign investment. The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources announced the openings through its international bidding platform last week. The offering includes five offshore blocks and seven onshore sites, providing a strategic mix of exploration zones for potential investors. These 12 blocks are part of a broader licensing round
Uganda has signed a trilateral agreement with Tanzania and Zanzibar to strengthen regional cooperation in regulating the oil and gas sector. The move supports Uganda’s goal of producing its first oil by 2026, even as uncertainty persists over the timeline for its long-delayed refinery project. The agreement unites Uganda’s Petroleum Authority, Tanzania’s Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority (PURA), and the Zanzibar Petroleum Regulatory Authority (ZPRA) in a coordinated effort to enhance petroleum development across East Africa.
QatarEnergy has secured exploration rights for oil and gas in Algeria, marking its entry into the country’s upstream sector through the 2024 Algeria Bid Round. The announcement was made by ALNAFT, Algeria’s national agency responsible for hydrocarbon resource management. The Ahara Block was awarded to a consortium comprising QatarEnergy (24.5%), TotalEnergies (24.5%, also designated as the operator during the exploration phase), and Algeria’s state-owned Sonatrach (51%). QatarEnergy’s President and CEO, H.E. Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi,
Nigeria and Germany have entered into a €20 million partnership aimed at accelerating Nigeria’s transition to renewable energy and supporting its broader clean energy objectives. The initiative will be implemented through the KfW Development Bank in collaboration with the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund, according to the Nigerian Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning. This partnership features an initial €20 million grant and a formal project agreement focused on promoting environmentally sustainable development across Nigeria. The
Russian diamond miner Alrosa has uncovered an internal smuggling scheme in which an employee allegedly swapped low-value diamonds for higher-quality stones and sold them to Armenian smugglers. According to a company statement released Monday, Alrosa’s internal security team, in collaboration with Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), caught a diamond sorter in the act of attempting to smuggle a batch of rough diamonds valued at RUB 1.9 million ($24,153). The intercepted batch weighed approximately 250 carats.
Russia held onto its position as the world’s leading producer of rough diamonds by value in 2024, maintaining the top spot it secured for the first time in 2023, ahead of Botswana. Despite facing significant challenges—including ongoing sanctions from the United States and European Union, as well as a broadly weakened diamond market—Russia sustained its rough-diamond output at 2023 levels. The country produced 37.3 million carats in both 2023 and 2024. However, due to market
Eni Rovuma Basin has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) to strengthen their collaboration in enhancing the well-being of communities across Mozambique. The partnership will explore cooperation in several key areas, including agriculture and rural development, the environment and blue economy, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), food security and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, and community health. The agreement reflects a shared commitment by Eni
Mozambique’s Energy Minister Estevão Pale said on Friday that the government has not yet received an official request from TotalEnergies to lift the force majeure on its $20 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, but he remains optimistic about the oil major’s plans to resume development this summer. Speaking to reporters in Tokyo after a meeting with Japan’s Industry Minister Muto Yoji, Minister Pale said the force majeure will be lifted once the project operator
