A new phase of offshore oil drilling is kicking off in Namibia as Saipem SpA’s Santorini drillship arrives at the “Mopane” site, an area marked by a previous discovery from Galp Energia SGPS SA. The drillship, with a destination listed as “Mopane,” reached the field early on Wednesday, October 23. Namibia is set to host at least four drilling campaigns by the end of the year, including projects from oil giants TotalEnergies SE and Chevron
NNPC Ltd’s three refinery complexes in Nigeria, currently undergoing extensive turnaround maintenance (TAM), are not expected to meet the diesel sulfur content regulation limit of below 1,500 parts per million (ppm) upon their commissioning. This exceeds even local regulatory standards for sulfur levels in diesel, reflecting challenges in bringing the government-operated refineries in line with cleaner fuel standards. The NNPC-operated refineries are located in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna and have been under rehabilitation since
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), a joint project between Tanzania, Uganda, and major external stakeholders TotalEnergies and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), is facing significant financing hurdles. Originally set up to transport oil from Uganda’s Lake Albert reserves to Tanzania’s Tanga port, this $5 billion project has seen its two primary foreign investors step in with additional funding due to debt-financing constraints. The project has attracted criticism from environmental groups and parts
Sonangol, Angola’s state oil company, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese firm Qinghai Lihao Clean Energy to establish a partnership aimed at developing a photovoltaic solar energy industrial chain in Angola. The agreement focuses on the production of solar panels using locally sourced quartz ore as the primary raw material. According to a statement from Sonangol, the partnership will lead to the creation of a solar panel industry in Angola, integrating quartz
Nigeria appears to be on track to achieving self-sufficiency in petrol production, as recent data reveals a significant decline in the volume of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) imported in October 2024. This decline follows an increase in PMS production at the Dangote refinery, particularly during the first two weeks of the month. According to a ship-tracking report from S&P Global Commodity Insights obtained by Nairametrics, Nigeria imported 280,400 barrels of gasoline and blend stock during
Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE has filed a lawsuit with the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to annul the import licenses granted to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Matrix Petroleum Services, A. A. Rano, and four other oil companies. According to Nairametrics, these licenses permit the companies to import refined petroleum products, but Dangote contends that it produces sufficient quantities of these products to meet local demand, negating the need for imports.
Despite the operation of Nigeria’s largest single-train refinery, the Dangote refinery, marketers continue to rely heavily on imported premium Motor Spirit, commonly known as petrol. Although the Dangote refinery has asserted that it can meet the Nigerian market’s demands, local oil marketers have challenged this assertion. Recent findings by Punch revealed that at least four vessels transporting petroleum products were observed at the borders of Nigeria, contradicting claims that the Dangote refinery can supply the
Shell’s plan to divest its stake in Nigeria’s onshore and shallow water operations has encountered a significant setback. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has put the deal on hold, citing the proposed new owners’ lack of qualifications to manage the assets. In January 2024, Shell International PLC announced its decision to exit the Nigerian onshore oil market by selling its subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Company Ltd (SPDC), in order to focus on more
The Republic of Congo, an oil-rich nation, is considering the feasibility of establishing an oil refinery in collaboration with the Central African Republic and Russia. This initiative follows a joint plan to construct an oil pipeline within the Congolese state. Jocelin Patrick Mandzela, the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Congo in St. Petersburg, shared with Russian media that both nations aim to work together on the refinery project, as reported by Sputnik. “Our country
Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), a subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, has announced the discovery of a new oil field in the Western Niger Delta, capable of producing an estimated 17,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd). This significant find aims to bolster Nigeria’s declining oil output. The “near-field discovery” was made by the Meji NW-1 spud in Petroleum Mining Lease (PML) 49, located in the shallow offshore region. Chevron disclosed this development in a statement to
