Exploration / Discoveries

Nigeria’s NNPC collaborates with Halliburton for oil search in inland basins

July 22, 2017 | Exploration / Discoveries, New Technology, Nigeria

Lagos, Nigeria | – A new vista has been added to the ongoing search for commercial hydrocarbon in the inland sedimentary basins by the Research and Development Division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), following ongoing collaboration with the US based Halliburton Corporation to achieve the exact location of viable crude oil deposits. Group General Manager in charge of the R&D Division, Dr. Bola Afolabi, said in Port Harcourt that the collaboration with Halliburton would help fast-track the inland basin exploration efforts through the …

Gambia ends exploration extension talks with African Petroleum, seeks new bidders

July 05, 2017 | Exploration / Discoveries, Government & Regulations, West Africa

Banjul, Gambia | – Gambia has ended talks with African Petroleum to extend oil exploration in two of the West African country’s most promising offshore blocks and is now in preliminary discussions with new investors, a senior oil official told Reuters. Oslo-listed African Petroleum’s share price fell 57 percent after the story was published, prompting the bourse to temporarily suspend trading. The company, founded by Australian-Romanian billionaire Frank Timis, issued a statement denying that its licenses had been terminated. African Petroleum had been seeking to …

Uganda to finalize oil exploration deal with Nigeria’s Oranto Petroleum

June 21, 2017 | Exploration / Discoveries, Licensing & Concessions, Uganda

London, UK | – Uganda is set to sign two oil production sharing agreements with a Nigerian oil firm, enabling the company to begin exploration work, the government said on June 14. The signing is expected on June 15. The firm, Oranto Petroleum International, was among a number of companies that bid in the country’s first competitive oil exploration licensing round last year, with two other Nigerian firms and Australia’s Armour Energy also getting through to final negotiations for the award of the PSAs. The …

Tullow Oil strikes more oil deposits in northern Kenya

May 19, 2017 | Company Operations, Exploration / Discoveries, Kenya

London, UK | – UK exploration company Tullow Oil has encountered around 75m of net oil deposits at an exploration well in Northern Kenya. The company found the new deposits at the Emekuya-1 well in Block 13T after drilling a depth of 1,356m and penetrated reservoir quality Miocene sandstones, which correlate to those seen at another Etom-2 well, where oil deposits were discovered earlier. Objective of the Emekuya-1 was to drill a fault block on the flank of the Greater Etom structure. Tullow Oil operates Blocks 13T and …

Eni makes new gas and condensates discovery offshore Libya

April 07, 2017 | Company Operations, Exploration / Discoveries, Libya

Cairo, Egypt | – Italian energy super major ENI said on April 5 that it has made a new discovery of gas and condensates offshore Libya in the Gamma Prospect, in the Contract Area D, 140 km offshore from Tripoli, in Libya. The discovery, made through the well B1 16/3, is located 15 kilometres south west of the Bouri field and 5 kilometres north of the Bahr Essalam field. The drilling of the Gamma prospect is part of the “near field” exploration strategy of ENI, …

Sonatrach makes 28 discoveries in first nine months 2016

November 01, 2016 | Algeria, Exploration / Discoveries

Algiers, Algeria | – Algerian National oil group Sonatrach has carried out 28 hydrocarbon discoveries from January to September 2016, mainly in Hassi Messaoud and Berkine in the country’s south. “Sonatrach, as part of its exploration activities, has announced it made twenty-eight hydrocarbon finds until Sep. 30,” the group disclosed in a statement. All of the discoveries, three of which are still under assessment, have been achieved “in its own efforts,” the national oil company noted. The total volume of hydrocarbons discovered through the 25 …

ExxonMobil strikes huge oil reserves in offshore Nigeria

November 01, 2016 | Exploration / Discoveries, Nigeria

Lagos, Nigeria | – US multinational oil and gas giant ExxonMobil says it has discovered up to one billion barrels of oil in an offshore field in Nigeria, signalling a boost to the country’s crude reserves. The company said in a statement on its website on Thursday that the Owowo field had “a potential recoverable resource of between 500 million and one billion barrels of oil.” Stephen Greenlee, president of ExxonMobil Exploration Company, welcomed the development, saying the company “will work with our partners and …

Tanzania, DR Congo sign MoU over lake Tanganyika oil exploration

October 05, 2016 | Congo, Exploration / Discoveries, Tanzania

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania |  — The governments of the United Republic of Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Tuesday sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to pave the way for joint oil and gas exploration in and along Lake Tanganyika. The MoU was signed by DRC Petroleum and Gas minister Ngoy Mukena and Tanzania’s Energy and Minerals minister Prof Sospeter Muhongo at the Tanzanian State House. President John Magufuli and his DRC counterpart Joseph Kabila were present to witness the event. “We …