Mozambique’s Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB), one of the largest independent energy producers in southern Africa, has said that it is considering the “reactivation” of a project to build a new power plant, to the north of the original hydroelectric dam, in view of growing demand for electricity in the region. “In the long term, the company is conducting strategic reflections with a view to reactivating the Cahora Bassa North project, to meet the growing
Vancouver-headquartered Lucara Diamond has secured a short-term extension of the maturity of its $50-million senior secured working capital facility (WCF). The company says it will defer the placement of $52.9-million in a cost overrun reserve account (CORA) by September 2. The CORA balance is currently $18.3-million. Lucara’s debt package consists of two facilities: a project finance facility of $170-million to fund the development of an underground expansion at the Karowe mine, in Botswana, and the WCF that is used to support ongoing operations.
The North Field, located northeast of the Qatar peninsula, is the largest non-associated natural gas field in the world. QatarEnergy has awarded Técnicas Reunidas an additional Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract for work including pipelines, interconnections, ancillary systems, and other supporting components of the LNG Offplot facilities for the North Field South Project, the Spanish contractor said in a press release. Técnicas Reunidas is currently executing the EPC works for the expansion of the
Natural gas prices are likely to decline further today after Woodside Energy reached an in-principle agreement with a trade union that should significantly reduce the risk of industrial action at the largest LNG production facility in Australia. That’s according to ING’s Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey, who wrote a note today, stating that natural gas prices in Europe had already shed 14% on Wednesday due to the prospect of an agreement between Woodside and its
A report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) shows that Africa has the potential to become a major participant in the global supply chain of critical minerals. According to the report, which was released this month, Africa’s abundance of critical minerals and metals vital for technology-intensive industries and the energy transition, including aluminum, cobalt, copper, lithium, and manganese, offers a new regional market opportunity for businesses and industries seeking to diversify
The Mozambican authorities are finalizing negotiations with the two consortia that won the sixth international tender for hydrocarbon exploration and production, but the contracts have yet to be approved and signed, the government said on last week. “The negotiations are almost over and, at the latest, by the end of this year, the contracts will be presented to the government, so that it can approve them, so that operations can begin,” said the Minister of
From 2023 to 2027, Nigeria, Algeria, and Egypt are anticipated to control the African natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply market, as the use of fossil fuel becomes unpopular globally. Data from the African Energy Chamber’s August 2023 State of African Energy report support this. The analysis estimates that Africa’s natural gas supply will be at 25.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2023, an increase of 1% from 2022. Meanwhile, long-term
Global spending on conventional oil and gas exploration will hit over $50 billion in 2023, according to energy research company Rystad Energy. Upstream companies are strategically directing their investments towards offshore projects, focusing on lucrative regions that have a robust geological understanding. Rystad Energy says that up to 95% of the total expenditure in 2023 is allocated to offshore initiatives. “Upstream companies are facing a period of uncertainty. They are eager to capitalize on the increased
Exploration efforts in both mature and emerging markets in sub-Saharan Africa continue to unveil sizeable oil and gas deposits while efforts to boost electrification are seeing new developments crop up across the renewable energy and green hydrogen fields. As markets expand, sub-Saharan African countries stand to learn valuable lessons from their North African counterparts. Leveraging Algerian Gas Expertise to Bolster LNG Markets With over 159 trillion cubic feet of gas resources, Algeria focused significant levels
Angola President Ramaphosa is meeting with his Angolan counterpart, João Lourenço, alongside regional Heads of State from the Southern African Development Community to discuss driving sustainable industrialization in the region. Additional topics to be explored will include political and security challenges, as well as the socioeconomic outlook of the region. President Ramaphosa will be joined by South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor; Minister of Defense and Military Veterans, Thandi Modise;
