CAPE TOWN, South Africa, 30 September 2015/ —  The South Africa: Gas Options meeting concludes this afternoon at the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town. The two day meeting was a forum for the public and private sector to discuss the opportunities for developing a gas-to-power sector in South Africa, in anticipation of the forthcoming RFP announcement from the IPP Office.

Over 300 investors attended the meeting, which welcomed South African Minister for Energy H.E. Hon. Tina Joemat-Pettersson to speak about the opportunities in the market and the development of South Africa’s Gas Utilisation Master Plan.

During the meeting, the South African Minister received the first Presidential Award for Clean Energy Access, to be presented to President Jacob Zuma in recognition of the ‘world beating renewable energy IPP programme’.

Organisers EnergyNet also announced during the conference the launch of the ‘Not Just Talking’ fund to invest in 2KW-4KW off-grid community electricity projects in Africa. The chosen project, SolarTurtle, is a self-contained energy unit housed on a shipping container. The first investment will be 300,000 ZAR.

EnergyNet’s Simon Gosling commented, “With our advisors ERM and Fieldstone we have identified South African NGO SolarTurtle as a solution provider that will make a significant impact to the lives of communities in South Africa, with a focus on ‘the empowerment of women’.  Excitingly, we will also work with the ‘EnergyNet Student Engagement Initiative’ students to bring education and training to the communities in areas of operations and maintenance and business management, to guarantee the sustainability of these small but important projects.”

For more information visit www.southafrica-gasoptions.com

The profile of the Nigerian oil and gas industry has gone through greater transformation than seen in previous decades

LAGOS, Nigeria, 29 September 2015/ — Over the last five years, the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act (NOGICDA) has arguably been the single most impactful piece of legislation for the Nigerian oil and gas industry since the Petroleum Act of 1969. The NOGICDA prescribes that indigenous operators be given first consideration in the awarding of contracts and licences, first consideration for training and employment opportunities and preference must be given to domestically manufactured goods.

At a time of shifting global energy markets, oil price at its lowest since February 2009 and the high operating costs, the implementation of Nigerian Content is all the more crucial for wealth creation and capital retention for the sustenance and growth of the Nigerian economy. The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr Denzil Amagbe Kentebe, who will be addressing the oil and gas industry in October at the Practical Nigerian Content Forum (PNC) in Yenagoa noted:

“The profile of the Nigerian oil and gas industry has gone through greater transformation than seen in previous decades; there are more indigenous players in the industry than ever before, a wider pool of skilled Nigerian professionals and indigenous asset ownership has increased steadily as has the domiciliation of manufacturing and fabrication.”

And indeed the enactment of the NOGICDA added impetus to the local capacity development initiatives some of the multinationals were already undertaking and galvanised others to work towards compliance. In just one year Shell Producing Companies in Nigeria awarded $2.4bn worth of contracts to indigenous companies and Total launched the TOTAL Supplier’s Financing Scheme worth $7.5bl to be made available through Nigerian banks to bridge the gap between local vendors/suppliers and financial institutions.

Indigenous operators have also emerged as key players as a new dawn has broken for the Nigerian oil and gas industry. Divestment of onshore assets by the likes of ENI, Chevron and Exxon spurred by the NOGICDA and the incessant pipeline vandalism and oil theft, provided the opportunity for indigenous producers and service providers to rise to the occasion and in no small measure; uring Q2 of 2014, Nigerian firms Taleveras and Aiteo placed the highest bid for Shell’s OML 29 at $2.85bl. In the same year, Oando Energy Resources completed its landmark acquisition of ConocoPhillips’ onshore and offshore businesses in Nigeria for $1.5 bn.

By the third quarter of 2014, it was recoded that $5 billion was contributed to the country’s revenue as a result of the NOGICDA. It was also noted that Nigerian Content in the Nigerian oil and gas industry grew from around 5% to 18%, 89.2% of marine vessels were either built in Nigeria or owned by Nigerians and domestic fabrication facilities had increased by 40%.

Mr Kentebe will be summarising the progress of Nigerian Content and discussing solutions to challenges that remain at the upcoming Practical Nigerian Content Forum, taking place from 20-22 October in Yenagoa. Government representatives including senior management from NCDMB and PTDF and industry players including Oando Energy Resources, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, Bell Oil & Gas, Statoil, Marine Platforms, Platform Petroleum, will convene at the Forum to discuss plans to ensure Nigerian Content growth and in country wealth retention for the next three to five years.

Hosted by Orleans Invest, Forum participants will also visit the Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone – the only free zone in the world dedicated exclusively to the oil and gas industry, to witness Nigerian Content in action. Facilities to be visited include those of; GE Oil & Gas, Tenaris, West Atlantic Shipyard, WAMS Machinery and Services and Deep Offshore Services amongst others.

“I look forward to welcoming all stakeholders across the oil and gas industry for what will be a very productive and enjoyable meeting,” Denzil Amagbe Kentebe, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of CWC Group Limited.

• Operator to drill Z-1 well in Equatorial Guinea in 1Q2016
• RoyalGate Energy to target Tulip Upper Isongo and Tulip Massive Isongo
• RoyalGate Energy is bullish on Block Z prospects

Malabo, 25 September 2015 – RoyalGate Energy has announced that it will drill the Tulip Upper Isongo discovery and Tulip Massive Isongo prospect in Block Z, Equatorial Guinea. The Z-1 well is to be drilled in the first quarter of 2016.

Located to the north of Bioko Island and south of the Marathon Oil-operated Alba field, Block Z has estimated gas reserves of more than 3.6 tcf. A 600 square kilometer 3D seismic campaign in 2014 showed the Tulip, Daisy, Buttercup and Sunflower prospects. Block Z also contains the Gardenia discovery, made in 2004.

The operator plans to drill the Z-1 well close to the location of previous offset wells and in the vicinity of known producers. These offset wells provided initial geological and geophysical data. Based on this and the seismic, magnetometer and shallow gas hazard data, the well has been designed and located to intercept the Upper Isongo and Massive Isongo zones.

President of RoyalGate Energy Frank Ene said: “We are proud to announce the drilling program for the Z-1 well. This is the continuation of what we see as a long term partnership with Equatorial Guinea and we see a lot of development potential for Block Z. We are bullish about the prospectivity of this block and our other assets in Equatorial Guinea.”

RoyalGate Energy entered the block as operator in 2013. The company is scheduled to hold a technical committee meeting for Block Z with the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Energy and selected contractors on October 22 in Djibloho, Equatorial Guinea. Read this story on our website.

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RoyalGate Energy is an Africa-focused independent oil company with assets in Equatorial Guinea and Ghana and offices in Houston, Lagos, London, Accra, Malabo and Luanda. The company is building a strong portfolio of assets across the continent, investing in the countries and communities in which it operates, and contributing to the sustainability of Africa’s energy industry.

For more information on RoyalGate Energy or for further details on this news story, email[email protected] or visit www.royalgateenergy.com.

Africa offers huge potential for growth in LPG use

LONDON, United Kingdom, 25 September 2015/ — Argus Media (https://www.argusmedia.com) will host the second annual Argus Africa LPG conference in Cape Town, South Africa, on 20- 21 October.

The conference will bring together companies with a long-term interest in LPG to discuss topics ranging from supply constraints, to the importance of robust cylinder management and the necessity of adequate primary infrastructure and regulatory frameworks. Muzi Mkhize, Chief Director of Hydrocarbons, Department of Energy, South Africa will give a keynote address on the role of LPG in tackling South Africa’s energy supply challenges.

Delegates will attend from across Africa, representing marketing and distribution companies, traders, importers, cylinder and equipment manufacturers and government and regulatory bodies.

South Africa’s Minister of Energy Tina Joemat-Pettersson said at last year’s Argus Africa LPG that “providing sufficient and appropriate sources of energy is a challenge facing our continent. LPG as a reliable source ought to be deployed to deal with this challenge.” Africa offers huge potential for growth in LPG use, but there are a number of challenges that are holding back development, including infrastructure, policy and cultural barriers.

Keynote speakers at the Argus Africa LPG conference include:

• Blaise Edja, General Manager Global LPG, Oryx Energies

• David Ohana, Group Managing Director Kenol Kobil

• Muzi Mkhize, Chief Director of Hydrocarbons, Department of Energy, South Africa

• George Amoako Adjei, Director of Commercial Operations, Ghana Gas

• Michael Kelly, Deputy Managing Director, WLPGA

• Hardy Rossouw, Africa Head of LPG and LNG, Vivo Energy

• Atose Aguele, Managing Director, Avedia Energy

• Abdelkader Benbekhaled, General Manager, Salam Gaz

• Gambetta Nacro, Managing Director, SONABHY

• HA Mbise, Commissioner for Energy and Petroleum Affairs, Ministry of Energy and Minerals, Tanzania

Other participants include:

Afrox | AlHussami Companies | Alpic Gas | Authentic Oil and Gas Synergy Services | Avedia Energy | Basefeeds and Trade Services | BGN International | Botswana Oil | Cavagna Group Asia | Cenegas| Chimons Gas | CMC Cerezuela | Department of Energy South Africa | E1 | Easigas | Energy Regulatory Commission| Engen Petroleum | Evas LPG Cylinders | Ghana National Gas | Glencore | Global LPG Partnership | Gulf Energy |Gunvor | Hangzhou Tianlong Steel Cylinder | Hexagon Ragasco | KenolKobil | Krier Technologies | LPGSASA | Mathimosetso Trading and Enterprise | Mauria Udyog| National Petroleum Authority | Navgas | Navigator Gas | Nersa | Oryx Oil South Africa | Oryx Supply and Storage | Petco Trading DMCC | Petrogal Moçambique | Pioneer Global | Poten and Partners | Reatile Gaz| Salamgaz | SHV Energy | Singapore Petredec International | Sonabhy | Strategic Energy |Techno Oil | Totalgaz Southern Africa | Transnet National Ports Authority | Uganda LPG Association | Ultimate Gas | Vivo Energy Maroc | Vopak Terminal Durban | WLPGA | Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority and many more…

Nick Black vice-president, LPG, at Argus Media said: “The long-term growth of the entire LPG industry ultimately depends on Africa. There is so much latent demand for LPG, which can and should be tapped. That is why we are so committed to engaging with African LPG stakeholders, to share a vision of a potentially golden age of African LPG demand.”

The full agenda, list of attendees, exhibitors, and registration and sponsorship details are available at www.argusmedia.com/africa-lpg

For more information and press enquiries:
Meeting dates: 20-21 October 2015
Venue: Vineyard Hotel, Cape Town
Contact: Melissa Wong, Senior Conference Producer
Tel: +44 (0)20 7780 4341
E: [email protected]

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Argus Media.

…Seeks removal of Petroleum Minister as NNPC board chairman, Increased Exploration Opportunities 

By Margaret Nongo-Okojokwu 

The Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) has called on the Nigerian government to set up modular and micro refineries in the ‘Niger Delta Economic Economic Corridor’ pooling the current burgeoning illegal and unsafe refinery operators.

Mr Chikwendu Edoziem, President, NAPE, made the appeal in Lagos during the association’s briefing with newsmen on its forthcoming annual conference slated for Nov. 8 to 12, 2015.

He suggested that the government adopts a strategy of standardised design, streamlined and cumbersome-free approval process, to ensure an efficient turn-around time for construction to full operation of one year.

“Government should accelerate the funding and completion of the new gas projects in the western axis of the Niger Delta to immediately add about 2,000 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d) of gas production. NAPE supports that stranded associated gas that is flared be utilised for power generation via accelerated approvals for captive power plants while targeting top flaring sites,” the association said.

The association also urged the government to intensify the ongoing reforms at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and to ensure that the Minister of Petroleum Resources ceases to be the statutory chairman of board of directors of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Edoziem stated that the Minister of Petroleum Resources remaining NNPC board chairman would make nonsense of the serious-minded reforms currently ongoing in the corporation as NNPC needs to be distanced from politics if it must become commercially viable.

He noted that the Minister of Finance is not the chairman of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN board, and that this has allowed the CBN function professionally without undue political interference.

Moreover, the association wants the federal government to encourage exploration activities in the country during the period of low crude oil prices as the low prices has brought about a lull in exploratory activities which has in turn brought about low activities for oil rigs and other exploration equipments.

“The cost of hiring equipments has gone down because no one is hiring those rigs and equipment due to low oil prices and the glut in the global oil sector.

“Now, we must understand that the crude oil price may not bounce back immediately, and exploratory activities are also time-consuming. If we use the opportunity of low equipment prices to hire these equipments now and commence exploration activities, thereby bringing life back into the sector, it will take another 4 to 5 years to probably be ready for first oil, and by that time It is very possible that crude oil prices would have bounced back,” he said.

These demands form part of the group’s recommendations in a communiqué it sent to the government after its special workshop, held about two months ago.

The communiqué, Orient Energy Review learnt, was sent to President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and had already met with the group on issues raised. Its President, Dr. Chikwendu Edoziem, confirmed to reporters in Lagos that members had a meeting with Prof Osinbajo, but didn’t disclose what they discussed.

Other recommendations on the communiqué includes: provision of an enabling environment and incentives to increase exploration opportunities, especially in high-risk frontier basins and under-explored deep high pressure high temperature (HPHT), reduction of contracting cycles for services and projects to a maximum of three months and nine months respectively. They added that the lowest bidder concept is being abused through ridiculously low bids.

NAPE also seeks the restructuring and devolution of NNPC, with a spin-off upstream company that is commercially viable semi-public Nigerian oil and Gas Company with world-class capacity for hydrocarbon exploration, development and production. This according to them will allow for effective, purposeful and business-focused decision making.

The association wants DPR renamed as ‘Petroleum Directorate’ to reflect the proposed changes, increased role and overarching autonomy. It stated that the full potential of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) would better be realised if it is empowered as an independent oil and gas industry regulator.

NAPE pledged to sustain engagement and mutual support between oil and gas producing companies and host communities, and recommended that the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), as it is, be unbundled and that the relevant sections of the extant Petroleum Act be amended to meet current realities, and position Nigeria to be globally competitive as an oil and gas producing country.

ACCRA, Ghana — Technip has contracted the Harkand/Consolidated Shipping Agencies joint venture to support offshore and onshore construction activity in Ghana.

Aberdeen-based Harkand Andrews Survey will service Tullow Oil’s Tweneboa, Enyenra, and Ntomme (TEN) project in the deepwater Tano block, 60 km (37 mi) offshore Ghana.

Work is due to start this October. The survey team will manage and support all survey needs on board Technip’s vessels during offshore construction activities, which include rigid and flexible pipelay, structure installations, spool metrology, pre-lay, and as-built surveys.

The program should be completed by next summer.

Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), on behalf of its joint venture partners, have announced that at about 10 a.m. on Wednesday September 16, some employees of companies contracted by it blocked access to CNL offices in Lekki, Warri and Port Harcourt.

This marked an escalation of a protest by these workers over grievances with their employers. The workers have since August 7, 2015 been carrying out the protest under the auspices of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).

This was contained in a statement issued by Chevron and signed by its spokesman Deji Haastrup, which was made available to newsmen in Lagos this afternoon.

The action of the workers, according to the statement, negates Nigerian labour laws and is contrary to the advice of the Federal Ministry of Labour and the order of the National Industrial Court (NIC) for them to suspend the strike.

In accordance with the statutory dispute resolution process, the matter was referred by the Federal Ministry of Labour to the National Industrial Court (NIC) since conciliation at the Federal Ministry of Labour did not resolve the issue.

“The National Industrial Court (NIC), by an order dated September 8, 2015, granted an interim injunction restraining NUPENG from striking, picketing, demonstrating or in any way disrupting the industrial harmony in the offices and facilities of CNL pending the determination of the matter.

“CNL continues to honour the invitations of constituted authorities aimed at resolving the issues, while encouraging NUPENG and the third party employees to embrace dialogue with their employers and obey the law. We also encourage all groups with any perceived grievance to follow due process and the rule of law.

“CNL reiterates its commitment to international best practices in labour relations and wishes to state that the safety and security of its workforce, employees and contractors alike, remains its highest priority,” the statement read.

A new joint venture between Harkand and Consolidated Shipping Agencies has resulted in its first contract win in Ghana, West Africa. The award will see the global inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) company delivering onshore and offshore support to Technip in the region.

Having formed a strategic alliance with Consolidated Shipping Agencies, the company’s Aberdeen-based Harkand Andrews Survey team will deliver services to Technip on the Tullow Tweneboa, Enyenra and Ntomme (TEN) project situated in the deepwater Tano block, approx. 60km off the coast of Ghana.

When the campaign begins in October 2015, the survey team will manage and support all survey requirements on board Technip vessels during offshore construction activities which includes rigid and flexible lay, structure installations, spool metrology, pre-lay and as-built surveys. The work is expected to be completed by summer 2016.

Harkand Andrews Survey managing director Stuart Reid said: ‘We are delighted that Technip has chosen us to support them during this major project in Ghana and continues our successful long term working relationship with Technip.

‘This contract award underlines Harkand’s commitment to working in the West African region in general and Ghana in particular. I believe that this will be the first of many campaigns that we engage in with our local Ghanaian JV partner, Consolidated Shipping Agencies.’

The joint venture with Consolidated Shipping Agencies is the latest in a series of high-profile partnerships Harkand has forged around the globe. Earlier this year, the inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) specialists announced it had been awarded three major frame agreements which saw it expand its global footprint, including a new venture into Mexico for the first time. The company has also recently started its first decommissioning project in the UK Continental Shelf supporting Maersk Oil North Sea.

Integrated Logistics Services, popularly called Intels Nigeria, has commissioned a one-kilometre interlocked road with solar light for Rumuorianwo Community in Rumuokwurushi town, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Regional Human Resources Manager of Intels Nigeria, Mr. Michael Udam, who performed the ceremony, said the project is another demonstration of the company’s willingness to partner better with those in its host communities.

“When Intels came into this community, they came into marriage with the community; two years ago we came for commissioning and today we are here again for another commissioning. We are hoping that in the nearest future we will continue to commission again.

“We have taken note of some urgent needs you have pointed out and as usual, we will discuss about them.

“We want to say a big thank you to you all and we want to say please continue to support your leaders and we will continue to work with them to ensure that more dividends will come to you,” he said.

Also speaking, Community Relations Manager of Intels, Mr. Rexford Asiebuka  said that the company has awarded post primary and undergraduate scholarships to several indigenes of the community, and also embarked on skills acquisition programme for the people as well as creation of empowerment scheme for women of the area.

In his response, the Paramount Ruler of Rumuorianwo community, HRH Eze Ezi-Wokoma, commended the company for the kind gesture, saying Intels has carried the host community along in its corporate social responsibility scheme.

The paramount ruler also assured the company that his people are ready and will continue to provide the needed atmosphere for business to thrive and for other social activities embarked upon by Intels.

Calgary, Alberta, Canada (September 16, 2015) The Asset Performance Group (APG) will be presenting at the Maintrain Conference, which will be held September 21–24, 2015 at The Radisson in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Nicole Ponsonby, Reliability Specialist, APG will present the “How Reliability Helps Win Business.” Using a real case study, Nicole will demonstrate the business value of modeling asset performance using Reliability, Availability & Maintainability (RAM) study techniques. RAM looks at the reliability and maintainability of equipment within a process to determine the overall predicted process availability over time. In essence, it helps organizations identify reliability and maintainability bottlenecks, validate process production capacity and increase operational confidence.

The presentation will explore how a large pipeline transportation company utilized reliability tools to secure new business and what were the key findings of the analysis that led to secure new business contracts.

APG’s Adam Grahn said: “A sound reliability program shouldn’t always be a large capital expenditure and an extensive training task. In fact, it can be the lever by which organizations improve their profitability and achieve bottom line results. For reliability efforts to be translated into financial returns, it is imperative to deploy different reliability tools and methods where they can be most effective.”

Adam added: “In this presentation we will showcase how a simple yet innovative application of a generic RAM analysis, which can be easily adopted by any organization, can lead to a multimillion dollar contract!”

The presentation will take place at 16.15 on September 23rd.

CAPE-TOWN, South-Africa, September 14, 2015/ — EnergyNet (http://www.energynet.co.uk) are pleased to welcome Cheniere and Exxon Mobil as sponsors of the South Africa: Gas Options meeting (http://www.southafrica-gasoptions.com) in Cape Town at the end of this month. 

These companies will join the Minister for Energy Tina Joemat-Pettersson along with Forum sponsor Delta Natural Gas and Lead IPP sponsor Acwa Power. 

Held with the full support of the South African government’s IPP Office, this meeting will explore the opportunities for power and infrastructure developers around the now imminent RFP announcement. During the meeting the IPP Office will present a calendared timeline of actions, and discussions will explore the country’s potential for establishing a successful LNG industry to help mitigate power shortages and enhance local industry. 

Some of the other sponsors and companies attending include: Abengoa, Black & Veatch, Caterpillar, Excelerate Energy, Fluor, Marubeni, Standard Bank, Mitsubishi, Oando, Rand Merchant Bank, Sasol, Sumitomo Corp, Nedbank, White & Case, Karpowership, and Wartsila. 

Simon Gosling, Managing Director of EnergyNet, commented; “Such an overwhelming response to this meeting confirms the appetite of the private sector to engage with the government in the development of South Africa’s gas-to-power generation industry.” 

Confirmed speakers and a meeting programme can be viewed at www.southafrica-gasoptions.com 

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of EnergyNet Ltd.