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South Sudan’s Nov Dar Blend crude oil exports to fall 8.6% on month: sources

Home | News & Analysis | Latest News Headlines | South Sudan’s Nov Dar Blend crude oil exports to fall 8.6% on month: sources Singapore (Platts)–20Oct2014/538 am EDT/938 GMT An estimated 4.2 million barrels or 140,000 b/d of South Sudan’s Dar Blend crude oil is expected to be exported in November, down 8.7% from 4.6 million barrels due to be exported in October, trade sources said Monday. A total of five cargoes — two of 600,000 barrels and three of 1 million barrels — are scheduled for lifting in November, the sources said. Dar Blend is a heavy, acidic crude produced at the Block 3 and Block 7 oil fields in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State. Malaysia’s Petronas, which holds a 40% interest in Dar Petroleum Operating Company, on Monday issued a tender offering 1 million barrels of Dar Blend crude for loading over November 25-26. The tender will […]

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Egypt: Ethiopian Water Minister Hails Egypt Decision to Resume Dam Talks

Ethiopian Water and Energy Minister Alemayehu Tegenu hailed Egypt’s decision to resume the three-way dialogue with Sudan and Ethiopia on the Renaissance Dam last August. He also applauded the positive atmosphere which prevailed in the two meetings, which were held in Khartoum in August and Addis Ababa in September. In statements on the sidelines of the second round of the tripartite national committee of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, currently in session in Cairo, Tegenu said that the outcome of the two studies recommended by the international experts committee should be based on authenticated and variable information and data in order to come up with unbiased recommendations and results. The project has been a source of concern for the Egyptian government since May 2013, when images of the dam’s construction stirred public anxiety about the possible effect on Egypt’s water supply from the Nile River. However, Ethiopia maintains that Egypt’s […]

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Statoil finds more gas offshore Tanzania

Statoil announced gas find in Tanzania, one of East Africa’s emerging producers. UPI/Maryam Rahmanian STAVANGER, Norway, Oct. 14 (UPI) — A new natural gas discovery offshore Tanzania puts the total amount of reserves there at 21 trillion cubic feet, Norwegian energy company Statoil said Tuesday. Statoil and its joint venture partner, Exxon Mobil, announced the discovery of about 1.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in place at the Giligiliani-1 exploration well offshore Tanzania. The new discovery pushes the total of in-place gas reserves above the 20 trillion cubic feet mark. Nick Maden, regional exploration director for Statoil, said the discovery opens up additional drilling opportunities off the Tanzanian coast. In June, Statoil unveiled a discovery of about 3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas off the coast of Tanzania in the Piri prospect. With the latest find, the Norwegian company said it would move its Discoverer Americas drill […]

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Kenya: The Next Big Oil Exporter

Not even the specter of a spillover of Islamic extremism from Somalia can dampen the atmosphere in Kenya, where commercial oil production is expected to begin in 2016 and discovery after discovery has made this the hottest and fastest-paced hydrocarbon scene on the continent. When it comes to new oil and gas frontiers, today it’s all about Africa. And more specifically, it’s all about the eastern coast, with Kenya the clear darling–not just because it’s outpacing neighboring Uganda by leaps and bounds, but also because despite some political instability hiccups and the threat of militant al-Shabaab, it’s still one of the safest venues in the region. Six of the last 10 biggest finds have been in Africa, where—all told–there are some 130 billion barrels of crude oil waiting to be tapped by more than 500 companies, according to a recent report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Topping this list are Kenya’s Anza […]

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South Sudan: Fighting Threatens Oil Fields in Upper Nile

Fighting has erupted around Renk, a key border town in Upper Nile state. South Sudan says opposition forces supported by the Sudanese government are making a push towards oil fields further south. According to a source within the government, forces loyal to former Vice President Riak Machar launched attacks on government troops near Agon-Bar, northeast of Renk on September 18. The rebel attack initially forced government troops to withdraw from the area. The South Sudanese troops then counterattacked, forcing the rebels to withdraw toward the Sudanese border. Renk sits near several oil fields in Upper Nile state, the largest of which is Palouge. The state is responsible for around 80 percent of South Sudan’s oil production. Fighting has since spread to oilfields near Palouge, according to sources in the area. A Member of Parliament, who is from the region and asked for his name not to be used, accused […]

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Kenya Sees Oil Resources Almost Doubling With More Drilling

Kenya expects its estimate of oil resources to almost double to 1 billion barrels as well-drilling climbs and the government forges ahead with plans to build an export pipeline, an energy ministry official said. Tullow Oil Plc. (TLW) and its partner Africa Oil Corp. (AOI) have discovered an estimated 600 million barrels of oil in the South Lokichar Basin since announcing the country’s first crude find in March 2012. The discovery has spurred the East African nation to accelerate infrastructure-development plans, including construction of an oil pipeline that will link Uganda to a planned port in the Kenyan coastal town of Lamu. Initial data acquired from northern Kenya indicates the figure for estimated oil resources is set to rise with increased drilling, said Petroleum Commissioner Martin Heya. “Most licenses will move to the drilling stage next year because that is when their initial license period of two to three […]

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China Deploys Troops in South Sudan to Defend Oil Fields, Workers

United Nations peacekeepers secure a section of Juba airport in South Sudan on Aug. 12. China has deployed soldiers to South Sudan to protect Chinese workers. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images KAMPALA, Uganda—China began deploying 700 soldiers to a United Nations peacekeeping force in South Sudan to help guard the country’s embattled oil fields and protect Chinese workers and installations, a spokesman for the African nation’s president said Tuesday. The airlift of the Chinese infantry battalion to the South Sudanese states of Unity and Upper Nile, the site of the only operating oil fields still under the control of the central government in Juba, was expected to take several days, spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said. While Beijing’s troops will operate under U.N. command, their posting to South Sudan marks a sharp escalation of China’s efforts to ensure the safety of its workers and assets in Africa and guarantee a steady flow […]

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Anadarko’s Mozambique Project Shows Appetite for Natural Gas

Anadarko has cleared this portion of forest near Mocimboa da Praia, Mozambique, as part of preparations for a new onshore drilling site. Mustafah Abdulaziz for The Wall Street Journal Few roads lead to this fishing village on the eastern shores of Africa. Drinking water and electricity are in short supply. Hazards include venomous snakes, malaria-bearing mosquitoes and gun-toting antigovernment rebels. But this is where Anadarko Petroleum wants to build one of the biggest projects ever attempted by a Western energy company. It has pledged to install acres of air-conditioned housing, an airstrip and a port—and to relocate almost 3,000 villagers currently living in mud huts. The search for oil has drawn companies to remote locations throughout the petroleum industry’s history. But Anadarko isn’t here for black gold. The American company is after something more abundant, albeit less lucrative: natural gas located about 30 miles offshore. There is more than […]

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Sudan and South Sudan

Map of key oil infrastructure in Sudan and South Sudan Since its independence in 1956 from joint British and Egyptian rule, Sudan has experienced several armed conflicts that have affected the country’s economic development, particularly its natural resources. The longest conflicts in the unified Sudan were the two civil wars fought between the Northern Sudanese government in Sudan (1955-1972) and the government in Southern Sudan (1983-2005). The second civil war ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that was in place from 2005 to 2011.The CPA set standards for sharing oil revenue (50:50 split) and a timetable toward a referendum on the South’s independence. A referendum took place in January 2011 in which the people of the South voted to secede from Sudan. In July 2011, Sudan became two countries: Sudan (Khartoum as the capital) and South Sudan (Juba as the capital). The border separating Sudan […]

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Tanzania positioned as LNG hub, BG Group says

BG Group said a test from an appraisal well at the Mzia discovery off the coast of Tanzania yielded a sustained gas flow rate of 101 million cubic feet per day. A similar well last year flowed at 57 million cubic feet per day. BG Group Chief Operating Officer Sami Iskandre said the results are a "critical factor as we progress design of the upstream production facilities and infrastructure" tied to liquefied natural gas development. Last year, energy consultant group Wood Mackenzie published a report saying Tanzania was a part of a growing number of emerging producers in East Africa. The report said output from Tanzania could help regional production increase from the current rate of 500,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day to 1.5 million barrels of oil equivalent. BG Group said test results from offshore developments "provided further support for a hub development to supply a potential […]

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