African Oil and Gas Country Briefs
Posted on April 16, 2009 – 2:03 pm | by oilandgaspress.com
Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) manages the state-owned oil industry.
The NNPC holds 49% in the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Company.
Foreign Company Involvement: British Gas, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhilips, Deminex, ENI/Agip, ExxonMobil, Nexen, Petrobras, Shell, Sinopec, Statoil, Sun Oil, Tenneco, Total
Major Oil Fields: Bonga, Cawthron Channel, EA, Edop, Ekkulama, Escravos Beach, Forcados Yorki, Jones Creek, Meren, Nembe, Okan, Oso, Ubit
Major Terminals: Bonny Island, Brass River, Escravos, Forcados, Odudu, Pennington, Qua (Kwa) Iboe
Major Refineries: Port Harcourt-Rivers State (60,000), Kaduna (110,000), Warri (118,750), Port Harcourt-Alesa Eleme (150,000),
The subsidiary companies include:
National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS)
Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC)
The Nigerian Gas Company (NGC)
The Products and Pipelines Marketing Company (PPMC)
Integrated Data Services Limited (IDSL)
Nigerian LNG limited (NLNG)
National Engineering and Technical Company Limited (NETCO)
Hydrocarbon Services Nigeria Limited(HYSON)
Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Co. Limited (WRPC)
Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Co. Limited(KRPC)
Port Harcourt Refining Co. Limited (PHRC)
Eleme Petrochemicals Co. Limited (EPCL)
In addition to these subsidiaries, the industry is also regulated by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), a department within the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. The DPR ensures compliance with industry regulations; processes applications for licenses, leases and permits, establishes and enforces environmental regulations.
Website: http://www.nnpcgroup.com
Algeria Oil and Gas Industry
Enterprise Nationale pour la Recherche, la Production, le Transport, la transformation et la Commercialisation des Hydrocarbons (Sonatrach) – State-owned company for exploration, transport and marketing of petroleum, natural gas and related products;
Enterprise Nationale de Raddinage des Produits Petroliers (Naftec) – Operates and manages all refineries: Enterprise Nationale de Commercialisation et de Distribution des Produits Petroliers (Naftel) – Domestic product distribution. Societe de Conditionnement, Commercialisation & Transport de Gas Industriels (Cogiz) – produces natural gas by-products.
Oil Export Terminals: Arzew (Algeria’s largest crude oil export port), Skikda, Algiers, Annaba, Oran, Bejaia, plus the Tunisian facility of La Skhirra.
Foreign Energy Company Involvement: ABB, Amerada Hess, Anadarko, Burlington Resources, BHP Billiton, BP, Cepsa, CNODC, CNPC, Enagas, Endesa, Enel, ENI, Gaz de France, Maersk, Petrobras, Petrofac, Repsol-YPF, Statoil, Talisman, Total, Wintershall, Woodside, YPF
Major Oil Fields: Hassi Messaoud, Hassi Berkine, Ourhound, Hassi R’Mel, Bir Hebaa, Gassi El Agreb/Zotti, Menzel Ledjmet
Major Natural Gas Fields: Hassi R’Mel, Rhourde Nouss, Rourde Nouss Sud-Est, Rhourde Adra, Rhourde Chouff, Rhourde Hamra fields.
LNG Facilities: Arzew GL4Z, Arzew GL1Z, Arzew Gl2Z, Skikda GL1K
Major Refineries: (crude refining capacity bbl/d, 2005E) Naftec-Skikda (300,000), Naftec-Algiers (60,000), Naftec-Jarzew (60,000), Naftec-Hassi Messaoud (30,000)
Sonatrach is the Algerian company of research, exploitation, transportation by pipeline, processing and marketing of hydrocarbons and their derivatives. Elle intervient également dans d’autres secteurs tels que la génération électrique, les énergies nouvelles et renouvelables et le dessalement d’eau de mer. Elle exerce ses métiers en Algérie et partout dans le monde où des opportunités se présentent. It also occurs in other sectors such as power generation, new and renewable energy and desalination of seawater, it carries out its business in Algeria and throughout the world where opportunities arise.
Website: http://www.sonatrach-dz.com/
Angola Oil and Gas Industry
State-owned Sociedede Nacional de Combustiveis de Angola (Sonangol) oversees offshore and onshore oil operations in Angola
Sonangol has expanded into a group of integrated companies and in the process became Angola’s leading distributor of refined products and promoter of social and human resources development
Major Oil/Gas Ports: Luanda, Malango (Cabinda), Palanca, Quinfuquena
Major Refinery: Fina Petroleos De Angola – Luanda
Over 200 exploration and appraisal wells have been drilled in Angola since 1990. At the beginning of 2000, there were 29 offshore and onshore blocks under licence to 30 companies and of these 14 were operators.
The first FPSO (Floating Production, Storage & Offloading) rig in Angola’s offshore came on stream on December 1999, and was used for project Kuito on Block 14. Since August 2003, the world’s largest FPSO came on stream on project Kizomba A on Block 15. Projects in Blocks 17 and 18 also required the use of an FPSO.
Angola has 9 types of crude graded internationally as per the following characteristics:
Intermediate crude
Cabinda Blend: medium viscosity and low sulphur content (32.0o API and 0.12% sulphur), the majority of its production is exported to China.
Dalia: crude of medium viscosity, sweet (23.65º API and 0.49% sulphur) and semi-acidic (1.56mg KOH/g).
Girassol: crude of medium viscosity and low sulphur content (API 30.8º and 0.34% sulphur). This blend is made of oil from fields girassol and jasmyn.
Hungo: medium viscosity and semi-sweet crude (28.5º API and 0.71% sulphur). This crude is made of production from oil fields Hungo and Chocalho on Block 15.
Kissanje Blend: crude of medium viscosity and medium sulphur content (28.2º API and 0.44% sulphur).
Heavy crude
Kuito: crude of high viscosity and with medium content of sulphur (19º API and 0.68% sulphur), very acidic (2.1 mg KOH/g). This crude is produced on Block 14.
Light Crude
Nemba: crude with low viscosity and low sulphur content (38.7º API and 0.19% sulphur), produced on Block 0 which is located in Malango, Cabinda.
Palanca blend: crude with low density and low sulphur content (37.2º API and 0.18% sulphur), this blend is made of 5 oil fields.
Xicomba: crude with low viscosity and medium sulphur content (34.8º API and 0.39% sulphur). It’s produced on Block 15 and it is exported to the USA.
Website: http://www.sonangol.co.ao/
Chad Oil and Gas Industry
According to Oil and Gas Journal (OGJ), Chad had proven oil reserves of 1.5 billion barrels as of January 2006. International oil companies (IOCs) first discovered oil in the early 1970s in southern Chad in the Doba and Lake Chad basins. Industry experts still consider Chad under-explored, with a high probability of locating new reserves in the future. As of January 2006, OGJ estimated that Cameroon had proven oil reserves of 400 million barrels, with the majority of reserves located offshore in the Rio del Rey basin of the Niger Delta. Less significant reserve deposits are located in the Douala/Kribi-Camp basins off Cameroon’s western coast, and onshore in the northern Logone-Birni basin
Cameroon Oil and Gas Industry
Cameroon’s only refinery, operated by the Société Nationale de Raffinage (SONARA), is located in the port city of Limbe and has production capacity of 42,000 bbl/d. Cameroon has plans to invest $383 million in refinery upgrades. The upgrades should increase SONARA’s capacity and allow the refinery to handle more of the country’s heavy crude oil. Currently, most of Cameroon’s heavy crude oil is exported, while light oil processed in the refinery is imported from Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea. Cameroon has also upgraded its port facilities, which now allow tankers with capacity as large as 90,000 deadweight tons (Aframax) to access the refinery. Total, ExxonMobil, and Chevron market refined products in Cameroon. The petroleum products are distributed domestically by the Cameroon Petroleum Depot Company (SCDP).
Ivory Coast Oil and Gas Industry
Petrolières de la Côte d’Ivoire (Petroci) has four operation subsidiaries (Petroci-holding, Petroci-Exploration/Production, Petroci-Gaz, and Petroci-industries/Services
Foreign Company Involvement: Addax, Canadian Natural Resources, Dana Petroleum, Energy Africa, ENI-Agip, ExxonMobil, Gentry, Gulf Canada, Mondoil, Afren Energy, PanCanadian Petroleum, Pluspetrol, Shell, Santa Fe Snyder, Stratic Energy, Total, Tullow, Vanco Energy
Major Oil Fields: Espoir, Baobab, Lion, Panther
Major Natural Gas Fields: Foxtrot, Kudu, Panther
Major Refineries: Société Ivoirienne de Raffinage (SIR) – Abidjan, Société Multinationale des Bitumes (SMB) – Abidjan
Egypt Oil and Gas Industry
According to the Oil and Gas Journal’s January 2008 estimate, Egypt’s proven oil reserves stand at 3.7 billion barrels. In 2007, Egypt’s oil production averaged 664,000 barrels per day (bbl/d), less than 1 percent of world production. Despite discoveries and enhanced oil recovery techniques at mature fields, production is declining annually.
The Saqqara field, discovered in 2003 and estimated by BP to contain reserves of 80 million barrels, represented the last major find since 1989.
The energy sector is broken up into three holding companies in addition to the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and the Egyptian Mineral Resource Authority (EMRA). These include: the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), The Egyptian Petrochemicals Holding Company (ECHEM), and Ganoub El Wadi Petroleum Holding Company (GANOPE).
Equatorial Guinea Oil and Gas Industry
GE Petrol; Sonagas (national oil and gas companies)
Major Oil/Gas Ports: Luba Port, second port (Malabo) under construction
Major Oil Fields: Zafiro (270,000 bbl/d), Ceiba (45,000 bbl/d), Alba (65,000 bbl/d of condensates)
Major Natural Gas Fields Alba
According to the Oil and Gas Journal, Equatorial Guinea had estimated proved oil reserves of 1.1 billion barrels as of January 2007. The majority of these reserves are located offshore in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea. Since the 1995 discovery of the Zafiro field, Equatorial Guinea’s oil production has increased dramatically. In 1995, oil production was 5,000 barrels per day (bbl/d), which increased to 385,970 b/d in 2006. While there has been some discussion of capping oil production in order to extend the life of the fields and prevent economic instability, the government appears reluctant to implement any measures that would slow development.
Libya Oil and Gas Industry
The Ministry of Energy was abolished in 2000. At that time, the National Oil Company was given full control over the country’s oil sector.
The Energy Ministry was re-established in 2004. Oil rights in Libya are awarded under Exploration and Production Sharing Agreements (EPSAs) based on the 1955 Hydrocarbon Law. Downstream investment is covered by the 1997 Foreign Investment Law.
Libya has a network of onshore oil , gas and product pipelines as well as completely eguipped crude oil export facilities in addition to a gas pipeline connecting Libya to the European market through ltaly,these established infrastructures provide investors with great advantages in both.
Major Oil Terminals: Es Sider, Marsa el-Brega, Tobruk, Ras Lanuf, Zawiya, Zuetina
Foreign Company Involvement: Amerada Hess, Canadian Occidental, ChevronTexaco, CNPC, Eni, Husky Oil, Indian Oil Corp., Liwa (UAE), Medco Energy (Indonesia), Naftogaz Ukrainy, Nimr Petroleum (Saudi Arabia), Norsk Hydro, Occidental, OMV, ONGC, Pedco (South Korea), Petrobras (Brazil), PetroCanada, Petronas (Malaysia), Red Sea Oil Corp. (Canada), Repsol, Shell, Total, Verenex (Canada), Wintershall (Germany), Woodside (Australia)
Major Oil and Gas Fields: Al Jurf , Amal, Beda, Bouri, Bu Attifel, Defa-Waha, El Sharara, Elephant, Ghani, Gialo, Hofra, Intisar, Kabir, Mabruk, Murzuq, Nafoora, Nasser, NC-41, NC-186 fields, Omar, Sarah, Sarir, Wafa, Zella, Zenad, Zueitina
Major Pipelines: Amal-Ras Lanuf; Defa-Nasser; Hammada el Hamra-Az Zawiya; Intisar-Zueitina; Intisar -Hatiba; Messla-Ras Lanuf; Nasser-Hatiba; Nasser (Zelten)-Marsa el Brega; Sarir-Marsa el Hariga; Waha-Es Sider
Major Refineries (capacity, bbl/d): Ras Lanuf (220,000 bbl/d), Az-Zawiya (120,000 bbl/d), Tobruk (20,000 bbl/d), Brega (10,000 bbl/d), Sarir (10,000 bbl/d)
Libya, a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), holds the largest proven oil reserves in Africa, followed by Nigeria and Algeria (see graph below). According to Oil and Gas Journal (OGJ), Libya had total proven oil reserves of 41.5 billion barrels as of January 2007, up from 39.1 billion barrels in 2006. About 80 percent of Libya’s proven oil reserves are located in the Sirte basin, which is responsible for 90 percent of the country’s oil output.
NOC owns refining, and oil and gas processing companies, operating refineriessuch as Zawia and Ras Lanuf refineries, ammonia, urea and methanol plants, the Ras Lanuf petrochemical complex and the gas processing plan. To establish petrochemical industries, anther stage of development of the ethylene plant has been completed , as well as the low and high density linear polyethylene plants.
NOC also owns national service companies which carry out oil well drilling and work over operations, provide all drilling material and equipment, lay and maintain oil and gas pipelines, build and maintain oil and gas storage tanks and carry out related technical and economic studies . They also provide the sector with other services , such as catering, procurement of materials and equipment, training and employment of foreign employees.
Website: http://en.noclibya.com.ly
South Africa Oil and Gas Industry
State-owned Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation (PetroSA) manages the licensing of oil and gas exploration in the country.
The Petroleum, Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa (Pty) Limited (PetroSA) owns, operates and manages South Africa’s commercial assets in the petroleum industry. PetroSA functions as a commercial non-listed entity under the South African law.
Major Refineries (capacity, bbl/d)(2006E)(Source: SAPIA Annual Report 2006): Sapref (180, 000), Enref (125,000), Calref (100,000), Natref (108,000)-Synthetic Fuel Refineries, Sasol (150,000), PetroSA (45,000)
According to Oil and Gas Journal (OGJ), South Africa had proven oil reserves of 15 million barrels as of January 2008. All of the proven reserves are located offshore southern South Africa in the Bredasdorp basin and off the west coast of the country near the border with Namibia. In 2007, South Africa produced 199,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) of oil, of which about 16,000 bbl/d was crude and 160,000 bbl/d was synthetic liquids processed from coal and natural gas. About 66 percent of South Africa’s total crude oil consumption is imported: in 2007, South Africa consumed 505,000 bbl/d of oil, of which 306,000 bbl/d was imported.
The core business activity of PetroSA is:
the exploration and production of oil and natural gas;
the participation in and acquisition of local, as well as international upstream petroleum ventures;
the production of synthetic fuels, procured from offshore gas at the world’s largest commercial Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) plant;
the marketing and trading of oil and petrochemicals; and
the storage of crude oil on behalf of the Strategic Fuel Fund.
Some of the commodities produced by PetroSA include leaded & unleaded petrol, kerosene (paraffin), diesel propane, liquids (oxygen / nitrogen), distillates, eco-fuels and alcohols.
Sable crude oil is a light crude (API is around 45.5 compared with 31 of the average heavy crude oils) with low TAN and sulphur contents
Sable crude oil characteristics:
Low Sulphur
Light crude
High distillate content
Low residue content
High in naphthenes and aromatics
Low acidity (low Tan)
High cetane number.
Website: http://www.petrosa.co.za/
Sudan Oil and Gas Industry
Major Oil Ports Port Sudan
Foreign Company Involvement: China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Malaysia’s Petronas, Total SA, Marathon Oil Corporation, and the Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Company
Major Oil Fields: Adar Yale, Fula, Heglig, Mala, Palogue, Thar Jath, and Unity
Major Pipelines: 994-mile pipeline from Heglig and Unity fields to the Suakin oil terminal – 870-mile pipeline linking Melut Basin to oil export terminal near Port Sudan and a 110-mile pipeline linking the Thar Jath and Mala fields to Port Sudan.
Major Refineries: Khartoum (100,000 bbl/d), Port Sudan Refinery (21,700)
According to Oil and Gas Journal (OGJ), Sudan contained proven oil reserves of five billion barrels as of January 2007 up from an estimated 563 million barrels of proven oil reserves in 2006. The majority of proven reserves are located in the south in the Muglad and Melut basins. Due to civil conflict, oil exploration has mostly been limited to the central and south-central regions of the country. It is estimated that vast potential reserves are held in northwest Sudan, the Blue Nile basin, and the Red Sea area in eastern Sudan.
Ghana Oil and Gas Industry
The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) is responsible for the exploration, development, production and disposal of petroleum in Ghana.
Its mission is to promote, explore and develop the hydrocarbon resources of the nation through lean, efficient and technology-driven investments so as to enhance the economic development of Ghana.
In June and September 2007, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) announced discoveries of significant quantities of oil and gas in offshore deepwater Tano/Cape Three Points. GNPC expects more discoveries of gas in adjoining areas to be made
A number of oil, oil/gas and gas fields have been found in the Tano basin. In all eighty-nine (89) wells have been drilled in the country. Six (6) discoveries have been made.
75% of 50 exploratory wells drilled encountered varying degrees of hydrocarbon shows.
Discoveries (Major Oil Fields)
Field Basin Year Fluid type
Saltpond Saltpond 1970 Oil & Gas
Cape Three Points Cape Three Points 1973 Gas
South Tano Tano 1978 Oil & Gas
3-AX block Tano 1979 Gas
North Tano Tano 1980 Gas
West Tano - 1 Tano 2000 Oil
Foreign Company Involvement: Afren Energy Gh. Ltd, Mitsui, Gulf Atlantic Energy Ltd.,Vanco Ghana Ltd., LukOil Overseas Gh. Ltd,Kosmos Energy Gh. ,Anadarko,Tullow Gh. Ltd., Sabre Oil & Gas Ltd., E.O Group Ltd, Al Thani , Inter Oil,Hess Gh. Exploration Ltd.,Gasop Oil Gh. Ltd.,Vitol Upstream Gh. Ltd,Oranto Petroleum International Ltd., Stone Energy,Aker ASA, Chemu Power Company
Website: http://www.gnpcghana.com
Tags: African Oil and Gas, Al Jurf, Algeria, Amal, Angola, Beda, Bonny Island, Bouri, BP, Brass River, British Gas, Bu Attifel, Cameroon, Chad, Chevron, ConocoPhilips, Defa-Waha, Deminex, El Sharara, Elephant, ENI/Agip, Equatorial Guinea, Escravos, exxonmobil, Forcados, Ghani, Gialo, Hassi R’Mel, Hofra, Intisar, Ivory Coast Egypt, Kabir, Libya, Mabruk, Murzuq, Nafoora, Nasser, NC-186 fields, NC-41, Nexen, NIGERIA, Odudu, Omar, Pennington, PETROBRAS, Qua (Kwa) Iboe, Rhourde Adra, Rhourde Chouff, Rhourde Hamra fields, Rhourde Nouss, Rourde Nouss Sud-Est, Sarah, Sarir, shell, Sinopec, South Africa, Statoil, SUDAN, Sun Oil, Tenneco, total, Wafa, Zella, Zenad, Zueitina
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