The announcement was made yesterday by Galp’s CEO, Filipe Silva. He detailed that by the end of March, the company will already have a clear view of the volume of oil reserves found in the first drilling off the coast of the African country. Galp announced the discovery of a “significant column of light oil” in a deeper zone of the first well drilled in deep waters. Next month, the company will conduct a DST
Brent crude oil futures dropped 82 cents, or about 1%, to $81.37 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures fell 74 cents, also about 1%, to $76.1 per barrel at 10:22 GMT. Last week, the key drivers behind the recovery were persistent threats to shipping in the Red Sea, Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, and maintenance at American refineries, said Tamas Varga of PVM oil brokerage. According to him, “this led to
The Algerian oil and gas company, Sonatrach, has recently signed a medium-term contract with the gas supplier VNG Handel & Vertrieb GmbH (VNG) for the supply of pipeline natural gas to Germany. The agreement was finalized during a recent visit by a German delegation to Algiers. Rachid Hachichi, CEO of Sonatrach, expressed satisfaction with the strengthening of energy business partnerships with Europe through this significant agreement with VNG. He stated, “We are happy to strengthen
The Port Harcourt refinery in Nigeria has recently received a shipment of 475,000 barrels of crude oil from the energy supermajor, Shell. The shipment was facilitated by the Shell Petroleum Development Company, the largest fossil fuel company in Nigeria, utilizing its Port of Bonny Offshore Terminal. The crude oil was delivered to the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited. In a statement, Shell expressed that, “This milestone will support the government’s aspiration of a steady supply
Benedito Manuel, the general director of CATOCA, emphasized the need for mining companies to go beyond mere social responsibility and prioritize social justice and equity in the distribution of resources, particularly in diamond-rich areas. Speaking at the panel discussion on “the social responsibility of diamond companies in mining regions” during the Mining Indaba, Manuel stressed the importance of processing the exploited resources locally to create a value chain that fosters job creation and contributes to
De Beers’ prices fell last year as a prolonged oversupply in the midstream and economic challenges weighed on demand. The company’s rough-price index, which reflects like-for-like values, dropped 6% for the 12-month period, parent company Anglo American reported last week. Sales volume slipped 19% to 27.4 million carats, with the average selling price sliding 25% to $147 per carat. While the company has not published its full-year revenue, rough sales decreased 36% to $3.63 billion,
Botswana has designated BWP 890 million ($65 million) from its new fiscal 2024-2025 budget for the purchase of a 24% stake in Belgian manufacturer HB Antwerp. The deal, which it first announced in March, calls for the African country to supply rough from state-owned Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) to HB Botswana for five years. The partnership would operate in a similar fashion to HB’s previous supply deal with Lucara Diamond Corp, enabling Botswana to retain
Energy supermajor TotalEnergies and offshore drilling contractor Vantage Drilling have signed a binding agreement to form a new joint venture (JV). Under the agreement, TotalEnergies will acquire the Tungsten Explorer drillship from Vantage Drilling. To the tune of $199 million, TotalEnergies will acquire a 75% majority stake in the JV, with Vantage Drilling owning the remaining 25%. “Through this innovative partnership, TotalEnergies will be able to hedge deep offshore drilling costs: the JV will provide
Angola’s diamond industry is emerging as an increasingly attractive investment opportunity, driven by legislative reforms, the discovery of high-quality deposits, and a forward-thinking approach by the government. With the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil, and Gas actively engaging with regional and global partners, Angola aims to enhance diamond production and position itself as a hub for this precious gem. Sectoral Reforms Encourage Foreign Investment As the fourth-largest diamond producer in Africa and the sixth globally,
Angola is gearing up for a significant boost in drilling activity in 2024, with plans to spud 43 wells, reflecting a 16% increase compared to the previous year. The country has set ambitious targets for a near-term production surge to reach 1.2 million barrels per day, and this will be facilitated by the expansion of the well pipeline, contributing to an overall increase in output. The planned drilling activities for 2024 mark a noteworthy advancement,
