Country: Gabon

Gabon’s Transition President General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema has inaugurated Perenco’s Batanga LPG Plant last week, marking another critical milestone in the roll out of Perenco’s gas monetisation strategy in Central Africa. Perenco is a pioneer in the monetisation of associated gas in the Gulf of Guinea where it is deploying innovative solutions to reduce flaring and process gas for the production of electricity, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG). In the 2000s, it commissioned a high pressure offshore pipeline network of over 400km in Gabon, including a compression station at Batanga to supply previously flared gas to the power stations of Libreville and Port Gentil. Additional compressors have been installed since to further reduce flaring, with volumes averaging 50 MMscf/d. The commissioning of the 15,000 tonnes per year (tpy) LPG unit at Batanga represents the next step in an already successful strategy of monetising local resources in Gabon. It will help the country cut imports of cooking gas by a at least a third, and will be followed by the commissioning of the 0.7 tpy Cap Lopez LNG terminal in 2026. Perenco is also progressing the development of a 21 MW gas-to-power plant at Mayumba in the south of the country, in collaboration with the Gabon Power Company.

The reopening of some refineries in Africa and the gradual commissioning of new facilities will mark the recovery of the continent’s downstream industry in 2023, according to Hawilti’s African Refineries Watch published today. While sub-Saharan Africa’s refining capacity is still under-utilised at some 40%, recovery is on the horizon with the re-opening of South Africa’s Astron Energy Refinery (100,000 barrels per day – bpd) and Ghana’s Tema Oil Refinery (45,000 bpd). Once both facilities are back in operations, the sub-continent will be able to utlise about half of its installed refining capacity. Refining capacity to get a boost in West Africa Ghana is also expecting to commission soon the Sentuo Oil Refinery, a 3 train multi-product crude oil refinery built within the Tema Industrial Zone with a targeted production capacity of 120 000 bpd. Its initial phase will have a capacity to produce 2 million tonnes per year (tpy) of petroleum products, almost doubling the country’s refining capacity. This is welcome news for Ghana who has seen its imports bill soar in recent months, reaching almost $4 billion in 2022 in premium and gasoil imports, according to the Bank of Ghana. But much larger change is currently happening in Nigeria, with the upcoming commissioning of the 650,000 bpd Dangote Refinery. The facility is scheduled to be inaugurated on May 22nd just before President Buhari leaves office and will cement Nigeria’s position as Africa’s leading refiner. Hawilti expresses cautious optimism on the commissioning of the Dangote Refinery, pointing to the complex and lengthy process required to reach full production. In its most recent report on Nigeria, the IMF for instance did not expect the refinery to reach full capacity right away, assuming a production of only 100,000 bpd in 2024 and 200,000 bpd in 2025. Meanwhile, Nigerian modular refineries have managed to navigate the country’s challenging business environments and found ways to secure new feedstock options to run small-scale facilities. Both the 1,000 bpd Edo Refinery and the 2,500 bpd Duport Midstream Refinery for instance are currently receiving crude oil by trucks from a marginal field in the Niger Delta to support their operations. The Edo Refinery is also undergoing significant expansion, with owner AIPCC Energy expecting to reach a capacity of 30,000 bpd at the end of this year and up to 100,000 bpd in 2024. “The drive to develop downstream assets with emphasis on refineries in emerging economies coupled with global energy volatility and evacuation challenges in some African countries is fueling the interest in the development of modular refineries,” declared Souheil Abboud, Managing Director at VFuels LLC. “The benefits of decentralizing refining infrastructure are one of the main reasons for the growth of modular refineries in Africa, and especially Nigeria. We are surely witnessing a growing demand for more sustainable infrastructure assets and an interest from Nigerian developers to integrated low-carbon electrification options within their future refining infrastructure. VFuels is proud to have completed an engineering FEED package that integrates renewable power solution for a refinery project in Nigeria.”

The Gabonese Gold Refinery (ROG), the first gold processing plant in Gabon, has come on stream, as the oil producing country pushes for a more diversified economy. With a refining capacity of 7 to 10 tonnes of gold per year, the plant is a joint venture between the state-owned Equatorial Mining Company (SEM) and Alpha Centauri Mining (ACM), a company held by British and Emirati investors. Currently, total national gold production is estimated at around 2 tonnes. Located in the Special Economic Zone at Nkok in Libreville, the gold refinery is based on Italian technology, has zero emissions and 100% Acid Recovery, according to ACM. “It symbolizes the metamorphosis of our economy towards more diversification, job creation and local added value through the on-site processing of our raw materials,” President Ali Bongo Ondimba said during the commissioning of the project earlier this month, adding that Gabon plans to refine “100% of the gold produced in the country, make our country a hub for gold refining in Central Africa and allow up to a third transformation on site in particular to make jewellery in Gabon.” Last year, the Government of Gabon signed convention agreements with Alpha Centauri Mining (ACM) to boost gold exploration, exploitation and refining in the country. The company entered Gabon in 2016. The agreements set the framework for the commissioning and operation of the country’s first gold refinery. Mining for growth and development The commissioned refinery forms parts of efforts to develop Gabon’s gold potential as it seeks to expand an economy largely dependent on oil. The Central African nation is already one of the world’s top manganese producer and exporter but wants to develop additional minerals found in its soil. In a bid to attract investors and support local content development in the mining industry, Gabon adopted a new code for the sector in 2019. Earlier this year, minister for investment promotion and public-private partnerships Hugues Mbadinga Madiya echoed the government’s efforts to curb the export of raw materials as a means to improve higher value-added trade. “The general policy of the Gabon government is not to export raw materials,” Mbadinga Madiya told newsmen on the sidelines of the Africa Investments Forum & Awards in Paris in February. “The model of supplying raw materials does not create jobs.”

On April 6th, Perenco has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with several public parties in Gabon towards the development of a 21 MW power plant at Mayumba in the country’s southern region. The agreement was signed by the Ministry of Petroleum and Gas, the Ministry of Energy and Hydraulic Resources, the Ministry of Economy and Recovery, the Ministry of Budget and Public Accounts, Perenco Oil & Gas Gabon (POGG) and the Gabon Power Company (GPC), entity of the Sovereign Fund of the Gabonese Republic (FSRG). The gas-to-power project includes a gas pipeline linking Perenco’s offshore gas fields to shore, a 21 MW power plant that can be expanded to 50 MW, a substation, a transmission line to Tchibanga, and a 20 kV distribution line to Mayumba and its surroundings. In its “Gas for Africa” report released in February 2023 with the International Gas Union, Hawilti reported that Mayumba was one of the pillars of Perenco’s future gas flare reduction strategy in Gabon. The independent operator is currently rolling out several gas monetisation projects in the country, including a 15,000 tonnes LPG plant at Batanga already under-construction, and an LNG export terminal planned at Cap Lopez. The company already supplies gas to Gabon’s power plants in the capital Libreville and in the oil city of Port Gentil, both located in the north of the country. Gas supplies rely on a 400-km offshore gas network developed in 2006 to monetise flare gas and make feedstock available to power stations.

Despite a very tight offshore rig supply market, 2023 might set a new 10-year high for Africa’s offshore drilling market as several development, infill, and exploration campaigns get executed this year. According to the Offshore Rigs Tracker released this week by Hawilti and the Caverton Offshore Support Group (COSG) Plc, over 30 rigs are already confirmed to be active offshore sub-Saharan Africa this year, with more in the pipeline. Angola will continue to dominate the market like it has for a couple of years. The country has six floaters already contracted until at least 2024. Based on its pipeline of brownfield and greenfield projects, it will continue to drive deep-water drilling activity until at least 2026. All international oil companies (IOCs) have active rigs in the country, especially TotalEnergies (3), Azule Energy (2), Chevron (1), and ExxonMobil (1). They are actively pursuing infill drilling campaigns and subsea tie-back schemes on their producing FPSO units, while targeting infrastructure-led exploration opportunities. “We continue to witness an upsurge in drilling activity offshore West Africa despite the offshore rigs supply getting tight,” said Capt. Ibrahim Bello, Managing Director of Caverton Helicopters. “More drilling contracts are currently in negotiations across the region for both exploratory and development drilling, which could make 2023 one of the biggest years for offshore drilling activity on the continent since the crisis of 2014.” Nigeria’s offshore industry is also maintaining the momentum of drilling activity it saw in 2022 with at least five offshore rigs scheduled to be active in the country this year. Shell’s subsidiary SNEPCO and TotalEnergies both have floaters mobilized for most of the year on their respective deep-water blocks, OML 118 and OML 130. However, most of Nigeria’s demand is for jack-ups in shallow water, driven by key players such as Chevron, First E&P, General Hydrocarbons, and Damas E&P. After Angola and Nigeria, the Republic of Congo and Gabon are the next most active offshore drilling destinations in sub-Saharan Africa. Both countries are seeking to mitigate their production decline with additional infill drilling, development drilling, and exploratory drilling. Several campaigns are currently taking place there, including exploratory drilling by Eni in Congo and CNOOC in Gabon. Across the rest of the continent, significant development and exploratory drilling campaigns are also on the table this year, including in Senegal and Namibia. While the former is drilling to start producing oil and export LNG, the latter has all the industry’s attention as both Shell and TotalEnergies seek to confirm significant oil and gas discoveries made in the Orange Basin. The Offshore Rigs Tracker Q1 2023 can be downloaded for free here.  

AMEA Power, a Dubai-based developer, owner and operator of green energy projects, has developed a strong appetite for Africa over recent years. The company already built West Africa’s biggest solar plant, a 50 MW PV facility in Blitta, Togo. Its commissioned and under-construction solar projects total some 130 MW, spread between Morocco, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Uganda. The company has now embarked on a significant scaling up of its renewable energy capacity on the continent via new solar, wind, and hydrogen projects. Its has a pipeline of over 1 GW of solar PV projects in various stages of development in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Mali, Chad, Gabon, Angola, and Djibouti. In November 2022, it also signed an MoU for a new 50 MW facility in Malawi, and announced in January 2023 the signing of a concession agreement and 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for a new 50 MW solar PV project in Côte d’Ivoire. Its African portfolio is also on the verge of diversification, with wind projects of some 950 MW in total being developed in Morocco, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Last but not least, AMEA Power intends to leverage on Africa’s significant renewable energy potential to produce green hydrogen. It has currently selected Morocco, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Angola for up to 3.5 GW of green hydrogen projects that could be approved over the coming years.  

The oil & gas sector knows no break and has had its fair share of developments over the past two weeks. Here is what you need to know as you get back to the office. Mozambique has announced the results of its 6th Licensing Round On December 21st, Mozambique revealed the results of its 6th Licensing Round, which resulted in the award of only six blocks out of the 16 license areas that were proposed. The China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) secured five blocks over the Save and Angoche Basins and Eni Mozambique securing one license in the Angoche Basin. None of the areas within the Zambeze Basin were awarded. “The Exploration programs proposed for the first sub-period of the Exploration Period have the potential to allow investments amounting to approximately $369.8m, foreseeing the acquisition of 31,200 Km2 of 3D seismic, opening of a minimum of four wells in deep water, and other geoscientific studies,” the National Institute of Petroleum (INP) said in a statement. Nigeria has launched a Mini Bid Round for deep-water blocks On December 21st, Nigeria announced its Mini Bid Round 2022 and put seven deep-water blocks on offer covering some 6,700 km2. A pre-bid conference is scheduled for January 16th while pre-qualification applications mut be submitted by January 31st. Under the new PIA regime, the blocks on offer are PPL-300-DO (former OPL 312); PPL-301-DO (former OPL 313); PPL-302-DO (former OPL 314); PPL-303-DO, PPL-304-DO, and PPL-305-DO (the three used to form IPL 318); and PPL-306-DO (former OPL 327). This Mini Bid Round will be a test for Nigeria’s attractiveness and competitiveness after a full overhaul of its oil & gas regulatory regime with the adoption of the PIA in 2021. Eni has selected a provider for its second FLNG unit in Congo-Brazzaville On December 22nd, Eni announced the signing of a contract with Wison Heavy Industry of China for the construction and installation of a 2.4 mtpa floating LNG unit in the Republic of Congo, offshore Pointe Noire. The unit will be the second FLNG facility of Eni in Congo since the company expects to commission this year the 0.6 mtpa Tango FLNG vessel it acquired from Exmar a few months ago. Both units will be monetizing associated gas from the Marine XII permit. Total Gabon expanded its upstream portfolio in Central Africa On December 26th, TotalEnergies EP Gabon extended its presence in Gabon with the signing of a new Exploitation & Production Sharing Contract (EPSC) over the Baudroie-Merou-Marine G5-143 permit. The 25-year agreement will run until 2047. “We remain fully committed as an energy producer in Gabon. We will maintain our investments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by valorising associated gas and will continue to implement actions to maintain our production,” said Henri-Max Ndong-Nzue, President of TotalEnergies EP Gabon.  Invictus Energy has finished drilling its first wildcat onshore Zimbabwe On January 3rd, Invictus Energy confirmed that technical and operational issues prevented a discovery at its Mukuyu-1 wildcat well onshore Zimbabwe. However, multiple potential gas bearing reservoir units were encountered and the well did prove the existence of a working hydrocarbons system. The Rig 202 is currently warm stacked on site for maintenance and upgrades and will recommence drilling operations later this year. Invictus Energy is considering an appraisal well (Mukuyu-2) or the drilling of Baobab-1. As a result, the contract with EXALO Drilling for the rig has been extended by another 12 months.

VAALCO Energy delivered First Oil to the Teli floating, storage, and offloading (FSO) vessel at its Etame Field offshore Gabon on October 18, the company has revealed. The installation of the FSO had been ongoing for several months to replace the previous Petróleo Nautipa FPSO vessel operated by BW Offshore, whose contract expired in September this year. Etame is VAALCO Energy’s flagship project with a net production to the company of some 10,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) on average. A recent extension of the production sharing contract (PSC) until 2028 paved the way for the reconfiguration of the field and a new drilling campaign. In August 2021, VAALCO Energy signed a binding letter of intent with World Carrier Offshore Services Corp. to provide and operate a FSO unit for up to eight years with additional option periods available. The agreement eventually led to the execution of a Bareboat Contract and Operating Agreement with Greece’s World Carrier Corp. to provide and operate the new Teli FSO. In doing so, VAALCO Energy expects to reduce storage and offloading costs almost 50%, lower total operating costs by approximately 17% to 20% through 2030, and increase effective capacity for storage by over 50%. In total, and once the field is reconfigured, the agreement with World Carrier is expected to lead to annual operating expense savings of around $20 to $25m over the life of the new agreement, according to VAALCO. Meanwhile the company recently extended its ongoing drilling campaign on the block from four to six wells. The Etame 8HST, Avouma 3H-ST, South Tchibala 1HB-ST, and ETBNM 2H—ST have already been drilled this year, tracking data from the Hawilti+ research terminal shows.

TotalEnergies has bought a 49% stake in Compagnie des Bois du Gabon (CBG) from Criterion Africa Partners. In doing so, the French major seeks to develop a forward-looking model of sustainable and responsible forest management that combines sustainable harvesting, biodiversity conservation, and long-term carbon storage. Criterion Africa Partners had entered the capital of CBG back in 2016, supporting the harvesting of 150,000 m3/year of mixed tropical hardwood species and processing logs through the company’s own manufacturing facilities. “CBG’s sawmill produces lumber for both local and export markets, while its rotary veneer plant produces Okoume veneer for The Joubert Group which is Europe’s largest plywood producer,” according to Criterion Africa Partners. “The forest management model applied by the partners will make it possible to develop a new balance between, on the one hand, the harvesting and local processing of sustainable wood combined with carbon storage and, on the other, the production of related carbon credits thanks to the reduced impact of forest operations, reforestation, agroforestry and conservation of natural forests,” TotalEnergies said in a statement. This is not the first such project of the international oil company in Central Africa. In March 2021, TotalEnergies had already announced a partnership with Forêt Ressources Management and the Republic of Congo for the plantation of a 40,000ha forest on the Batéké Plateaux. The new forest will sequester over 10 million tons of CO2 over two decades and will be certified according to the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) standards. The new forest in Congo will also effectively create a carbon sink and support the development of agroforestry practices with the local communities for food production and sustainable wood energy.

Tullow Oil and Capricorn Energy (formerly Cairn Energy) have agreed earlier this week on an all-stock merger deal worth over $800m. The combination of both companies will create one of Africa’s leading independent energy companies, and confirms the strong rise of M&A deals in Africa this year. The deal is likely to be implemented as a Court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement under which Tullow Oil would acquire all of the issued and to be issued shares of Capricorn Energy. Upon completion, Capricorn Energy shareholders would hold some 47% of the new combined group, and Tullow Oil’s shareholders the remaining 53%. While the name of the new combined company is yet to be revealed, it would sit on some 343m barrels of oil equivalent (boe) of reserves (2P) and 696m boe of resources with a production of some 96,000 boepd. The company would still be listed in London and be one of the largest Africa-focused energy independents. A Portfolio of Incremental, High-Return Investment Opportunities The new group will be present across lucrative assets in Ghana, Egypt, Gabon, and Côte d’Ivoire. Capricorn Energy notably entered Egypt in 2021 when it acquired Shell’s onshore assets in the Western Desert along with its consortium partner Cheiron. The gas-rich fields represent some 36,500 boepd of output for Capricorn Energy, with significant opportunity to deliver self-funded growth production via infill drilling and low-cost exploration. In Ghana, Tullow Oil’s success stories continues deliver returns while generating local value via the producing Jubilee and TEN fields where a drilling campaign is ongoing until 2025. New development wells are notably planned, especially at Jubilee South-East. Tullow Oil also has non-operated interests in key producing fields such as Espoir in Côte d’Ivoire or Tchatamba and Ezanga in Gabon. In 2021, the company’s working interest production averaged 59,200 boepd. Infrastructure-led exploration will be executed across these assets over the coming years, with opportunities to unlock additional reserves and maintain production decline. The wells will be reported within Hawilti’s Exploration Watch, available within the Hawilti+ Terminal. New Plays in Frontier Basins The new group could also be a key pioneer in the development of reserves in Kenya, Mauritania and Latin America notably. Tullow Oil is a partner in Project Oil Kenya, where a final investment decision (FID) is expected in 2023. The onshore project would deliver 120,000 bopd at peak and be Kenya’s first oil venture. Meanwhile, Capricorn Energy is hopeful that its C7 Block offshore Mauritania could yield success soon. The Dauphin-1 exploratory well could notably be drilled there in a couple of years.

On April 5th, the Angolan National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG) opened a tender for eight oil blocks in the Lower Congo and Kwanza offshore basins. These include Blocks 16/21, 31/21, 32/21, 33/21 and 34/21 in the Lower Congo and Blocks 7/21, 8/21 and 9/21 in the Kwanza Basin. In the presence of Minister of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas, Diamantino Pedro Azevedo and Secretary of State for Oil and Gas José Barroso, the round of offshore blocks piqued the interest of several global oil majors operating in the country. Eni Angola notably submitted a bid for Block 31/21, as operator with a 50% interest, in partnership with Equinor (50%). On its side, TotalEnergies presented a bid proposal for Block 16/21, with a 100% stake. “Knowing that the basins in the bidding have been studied and the investors have been able to prove that our business environment is recommended – and that investors recognise it – and that the ANPG guarantees  dialogue and continuous work with operators and with partners who trust Angola, it is something that shows us that we are on the right path and that we must commit more to boost our oil & gas sector and its contribution to the national economy,” commented  Paulino Jerónimo, CEO of the ANPG. The bidding round was notably launched a month before the 8th African Petroleum Congress and Exhibition (CAPE VIII), set to take place in Luanda from May 16th-19th. The congress is sponsored by SONANGOL, TOTAL ENERGIES, EXXONMOBIL, CHEVRON, EQUINOR, TRAFIGURA, SOMOIL, SINOPEC, BFA, SNH, BRIMONT, SHEARWATER and is supported by PETAN, OGTAN, AECIPA. Headline topics include, among others, ANPG’s latest bid round, the energy transition, and opportunities and challenges under the new geopolitical paradigm shift. The congress is organized by the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO), the government of the Republic of Angola (for the first time), the Angolan National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG) and AME Trade Ltd. The three-day event will be centered around the theme of “Energy Transition: Challenges and Opportunities in the African Oil and Gas Industry,” and assemble experts from the national, regional, and international energy and oil and gas industries to deliberate the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition and the future of the oil and gas industry in Africa. The congress will be the ideal platform for Africa’s leading oil and gas producers to confront the foregoing challenges and engender solutions to maximize its oil and gas resources. Amid the drive by developed economies towards decarbonization and net-zero policies, attending energy stakeholders will have the opportunity to reinforce the case for regional integrated supply chains and pooling resources to leverage the catalytic power of hydrocarbons in a sustainable manner. Supported by countless multinationals across the energy value chain and national oil companies, CAPE VIII will feature illuminating insight from a range of illustrious keynote speakers, who will position to influence the future landscape of energy in Africa and beyond. Confirmed Keynote speakers notably include: H.E. Diamantino Pedro Azevedo, Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources of Angola, President of APPO; H.E. Mahamane Sani Mahamadou Issoufou, Minister of Petroleum, Energy and Renewable Energy Republic of Niger; H.E Gabriel Obiang Lima, Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy of Equatorial Guinea; H.E. Samson Gwede Mantashe, Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, South Africa; H.E. Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Energy, Ghana; H.E. Thomas Camara, Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Energy, Ivory Coast; H.E. Didier Budimbu Ntubuanga, Minister of Hydrocarbons, Democratic Republic of Congo; H.E. Mohamed Arkab, Minister of Energy and Mines, Algeria; H.E. Bruno Jean Richard Itoua, Minister of Hydrocarbons, Congo; H.E Vincent de Paul Massassa, Minister of Petroleum, Gas and Mines, Republic of Gabon; Toufik HEKKAR, CEO of Sonatrach, Algeria; Jianqiang Zhang, President, Sinopec Angola; Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, Secretary General, African Petroleum Producers Association (APPO); Ms. Cany Jobe, Director of Exploration and Production, Gambia National Petroleum Corporation; Immanuel Mulunga, Managing Director, Namcor; Edson R Dos Santosi, CEO, SOMOIL ; Dr. Ibrahim Mamane, Directeur Général, SONIDEP ; Osam Iyahen, Vice President, Oil & Gas, Africa Finance Corporation; Bráulio de Brito, Chairman, Angola O&G Service Companies Association (AECIPA); Zakaria Dosso, Managing Director, AEICORP; Matthieu Milandri, Head of Upstream Finance, Trafigura; Yann Pierre Albert Livulibutt Yangari, Independent Consultant; Dr. Babafemi Oyewole, the CEO of Energy Synergy Partners; Tim Dixon, Director and General Manager, IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme. The congress will notably welcome the participation of several African national oil companies (NOCS), including Sonangol (Angola), SNH (Cameroon), SHT (Chad), PETROCI (Côte d’Ivoire), SNPC (Congo), NNPC (Nigeria), Sonatrach (Algeria), GE Petrol and Sonagas (Equatorial Guinea), and SONIDEP (Niger). In this crucial period for the development of the industry in Africa & globally, CAPE VIII presents a unique opportunity to connect with key stakeholders from Africa’s petroleum producing countries. 

Unlocking Africa’s oil and gas potential is now imperative against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and the resulting crude, diesel, and gas supply crunch. This has rendered European dependence on Russian energy untenable, creating a major opportunity for Africa to position itself as a crucial option to increase the supply to the global energy markets. However, significant challenges remain for the continent’s hydrocarbon producers to suddenly ramp up their production due to infrastructure, finance, and technology deficits. Countries with major LNG resources, such as Nigeria, Angola, Libya, and Algeria, suffer from limited and underdeveloped pipeline networks, refineries, jetties, terminals, and ports. Additionally, incentivizing foreign investment is often problematized by a host of risk factors, including political instability, local insecurity issues and financial institutions shifting investments from fossil fuels to renewables. Finally, securing the latest technology to facilitate local content development has proven cost prohibitive given the reliance on foreign intellectual property and the continual brain drain of key local human capital. All the above issues will be discussed at the 8th Africa Petroleum Congress and Exhibition (CAPE VIII) taking place from 16-19 May 2022 in Luanda, Angola.  The congress is organized by the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO), the government of the Republic of Angola (for the first time), and AME Trade Ltd. The three-day event will be centered around the theme of “Energy Transition: Challenges and Opportunities in the African Oil and Gas Industry,” and assemble experts from the national, regional, and international energy and oil and gas industries to deliberate the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition and the future of the oil and gas industry in Africa. CAPE VIII will unfold against the recession of the global pandemic that exacerbated record production declines across African hydrocarbon producing countries from 2020 to 2021. The annus horribilis was compounded by under-investment in exploration activities, leaving several of the continent’s biggest energy players struggling to cope with the post-lockdown surge in demand for hydrocarbons. Fortunately, APPO’s ambition to establish the continent as an energy hub regained significant headwind with a stellar upstream development outlook for 2022 and beyond. The congress will be the ideal platform for Africa’s leading oil and gas producers to confront the foregoing challenges and engender solutions to maximize its oil and gas resources. Amid the drive by developed economies towards decarbonization and net-zero policies, attending energy stakeholders will have the opportunity to reinforce the case for regional integrated supply chains and pooling resources to leverage the catalytic power of hydrocarbons in a sustainable manner. Supported by countless multinationals across the energy value chain and national oil companies, CAPE VIII will feature illuminating insight from a range of illustrious keynote speakers, who will mold the future landscape of energy in Africa and beyond. Keynote speakers at the conference will include: H.E. Diamantino Pedro Azevedo, Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources of Angola, President of APPO H.E. Mahamane Sani Mahamadou Issoufou, Minister of Petroleum, Energy and Renewable Energy Republic of Niger H.E. Samson Gwede Mantashe, Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, South Africa H.E. Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Energy, Ghana, H.E. Thomas Camara, Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Energy, Ivory Coast Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, Secretary General, African Petroleum Producers Association (APPO) Ms.  Cany Jobe, Director of Exploration and Production , Gambia National Petroleum Corporation Mr. Edson R Dos Santosi, CEO, SOMOIL Dr. Ibrahim Mamane, Directeur Général, SONIDEP Mr. Osam Iyahen , Vice President, Oil & Gas, Africa Finance Corporation Mr. Bráulio de Brito, Chairman, Angola O&G Service Companies Association (AECIPA) Mr. Zakaria Dosso, Managing Director, AEICORP Mr. Matthieu Milandri, Head of Upstream Finance, Trafigura Mr. Yann Pierre Albert Livulibutt Yangari, Independent Consultant Mr. Dr. Babafemi Oyewole, the CEO of Energy Synergy Partners Tim Dixon, Director and General Manager, IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme Confirmed National Oil Companies at CAPE VIII include. SONANGOL, Angola SNH, Cameroon SHT, Chad Petroci, Cote d’Ivoire SNPC, Congo NNPC, Nigeria Sonagol, Angola GE Petrol, Equatorial Guinea Sonagas, Equatorial Guinea CAPE VIII is sponsored by the continent’s leading oil and gas players including: SONANGOL, TOTAL ENERGIES, EXXONMOBIL, CHEVRON, EQUINOR, TRAFIGURA, SOMOIL, BRIMONT, SHEARWATER. Hawilti is a proud Communication Partner of Cape VIII.

The Government of Gabon has signed convention agreements this week with Alpha Centauri Mining (ACM) to boost gold exploration, exploitation and refining in the country. The company is held by British and Emirati investors and entered Gabon in 2016. In September last year it produced about 100 kg of gold per month, according to its website.   The agreements signed with the Government of Gabon this week covers the exploitation of gold mines in the Ndjole region, along with gold exploration in the Middle-Ogooue and Ogooue Ivindo provinces. More importantly, they also set the framework for the commissioning and operation of the country’s first gold refinery. “Alpha Cenauri Mining is building the country’s first refinery in the Gabon Special Economic Zone and we expect to start operations by mid-2022,” CEO Anand Bajla said after the signing ceremony. “We will start with a capacity of 4 tonnes per annum to enable Gabon to export refined gold,” he added. The mini modular refinery is a good first step for Gabon, who has so far struggled to fully develop its gold potential. Latest government data available shows gold output at 0.1 tonne in 2020. However, exports earnings have been on the rise and stood at FCFA 8.3bn between January and September 2021, compared with FCFA 2.7bn in 2019. To boost investments in the sector and support local content development, Gabon adopted a new Mining Code in 2019.

VAALCO Energy has placed the Etame 8H-ST well on production at its Etame Marin offshore permit in Gabon. While the well had initial flow rates of about 5,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd), it was choked back to about 4,200 bopd for reservoir management purposes, the company said. Ongoing drilling campaign VAALCO embarked in December 2021 on a 4-well drilling campaign on the block, targeting two development and two appraisal wells at a cost of at least $117m. Its preliminary production uplift estimates from this new drilling campaign are between 7,000 and 8,000 gross of peak production from the four planned wells. After successfully drilling Etame 8H-ST, Borr Drilling has moved its rig to the nearby Avouma platform to drill the Avouma 3H-ST development well. The future of Etame Gabon’s Etame Marin permit has been continuously producing for almost two decades in the floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel Petróleo Nautipa. A recent extension until 2028 along with repeated drilling programs are set to maintain field output at almost 20,000 bopd. Despite two decades of production that have seen over 121m barrels produced, the field is still estimated to have reserves and resources of about 113 million barrels. Since the Etame discovery in 1995, VAALCO Energy has achieved a 92% success rate on 36 wells drilled. In 2019, VAALCO also exercised an election to extend the lease contract for the FPSO Petróleo Nautipa at Etame through September 2021, with an additional one-year option to run through September 2022. Once the FPSO contract expires later this year, the Petróleo Nautipa will be replaced with a floating, storage and offloading (FSO) unit. The transition would lead to some reconfiguration on the field under which the existing platforms would handle processing activities while the FSO unit would handle storage and offloading of crude oil.

VAALCO Energy has spudded the Etame 8H-ST well offshore Gabon, the first of four wells that will be completed in 2022 at the company’s flagship project in Central Africa. Etame 8H-ST is a sidetrack of an existing well and is targeting existing Gamba hydrocarbons in the Etame field. This marks the beginning of a new drilling campaign in Gabon, executed by an affiliate of Borr Drilling. Upon completion in 2022, VAALCO Energy expects a production uplift of 7,000 to 8,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd). Etame produced an average of 15,650 bopd last year. Source: VAALCO Energy, Inc. The Etame Marin permit has been continuously producing for almost two decades in Gabon via the floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel Petróleo Nautipa. It represents on average 10% of the country’s daily production of hydrocarbons. Earlier this year, VAALCO Energy consolidated its operated interest in the field following the closing of the acquisition of Sasol Gabon S.A.’s 27.8% working interest. Despite two decades of production that have seen over 121m barrels produced, the field is still estimated to have reserves and resources of about 113 million barrels. A recent extension until 2028 has notably paved the way for additional investment and drilling to maintain output. The contract for FPSO Petróleo Nautipa will expire in September 2022, after which the vessel will be replaced by a floating, storage and offloading (FSO) unit provided by World Carrier Offshore Services Corp. VAALCO Energy is also betting on additional exploration potential around Etame and provisionally secured a 37.5% non-operated interest in blocks G12-13 and H12-13 during Gabon’s 12th Licensing Bid Round that concluded in 2021. Both blocks’ areas surround the Etame complex and are now operated by BW Energy. Details on the development of the Etame Marin Permit are available in the “Projects” section within your Hawilti+ research terminal.

VAALCO Energy, the independent company operating oil & gas projects offshore Central Africa, has just reported a strong net income of $31.7m for Q3 2021. The company sold 741,000 barrels of oil this past quarter, up 15% from Q2 this year, and benefited from a realised crude oil price of $73.02/bbl. As a result, VAALCO Energy’s shares were up almost +7% today and +75% since early January. VAALCO Energy’s stock is currently trading at $3.46/share. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and completed a dual listing on the London Stock Exchange in September 2019, in a bid to access additional sources of capital. Source: Yahoo Finance The company’s shares passed the $3 threshold in February this year, a level they had not reached since July 2018. They are now trading at a new 5-year high that confirms its solid performance after it doubled its net interest production this year. VAALCO Energy’s flagship asset is its Etame Marin permit offshore Gabon, where it has been producing oil since September 2002. To keep developing the fields, it recently consolidated its interests in the licence by acquiring Sasol’s 27.8% working interest, concretely doubling its total net production and reserves in the process. Source: VAALCO Energy Bringing Gabonese Operations to the Next Level VAALCO Energy is currently engaged in significant expansion of its operations at Etame offshore Gabon. Following the completion of a 3D seismic acquisition in December 2020, it is starting a new drilling campaign on the block. The 2021/2022 campaign will target at least two development wells and two appraisal wells to add anywhere between 7,000 and 8,000 bopd of additional production. The Etame 8HST, the first well of the 2021/2022 drilling program, should be spudded in early December 2021. Meanwhile, VAALCO is expected to replace the FPSO Petroleo Nautipa, whose contract expires in September 2022, by a floating, storage and offloading (FSO) unit to cut costs and maximise operations. The company is also betting on additional exploration potential around Etame and provisionally secured a 37.5% non-operated interest in blocks G12-13 and H12-13 during Gabon’s 12th Licensing Bid Round that concluded in 2021. Both blocks’ areas surround the Etame complex and are now operated by BW Energy. Achieving First Oil in Equatorial Guinea VAALCO Energy has also completed the drilling feasibility study for a standalone development of the Venus discovery on Block P offshore Equatorial Guinea and is currently proceeding to a field development concept. The project is expected to rely on a floating, storage and offloading (FSO) unit with a platform on the shelf (jack-up production unit). The PSC for Block P provides for a development and production period of 25 years from the date of approval of a development and production plan. An indicative timeline given by VAALCO in 2021 notably expects development drilling at Venus to start in October 2024 to achieved first oil in January 2025. Full details on VAALCO Energy’s operational and financial performances along with the company’s projects offshore Gabon and Equatorial Guinea are available in the “Companies” and “Projects” section within your Hawilti+ research terminal.

Gabon is thought to hold anywhere between 3 to 5 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas, although the country remains a small gas producer. To date, most of its gas has remained on the ground or flared – with only small quantities monetised domestically for power generation in Libreville and Port Gentil. But as Gabon implements an ambitious “Green Gabon” environmental policy and seeks to diversify its economy, the country wants to cut routine flaring altogether and monetise it for the benefits of its industries, households, and economy. The recent Gabon Oil, Gas & Energy Summit organized by IN-VR in Libreville last October notably exposed the alignment of most parties on the need to monetise gas instead of flaring it. A New Gas Strategy in the Making To achieve its gas ambitions, Gabon is currently working on a new Gas Master Plan with Wood Mackenzie and the World Bank’s Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership (GGFR). The plan will have four major ambitions: reduce gas flaring, increase energy security, expand access to affordable energy and attract investments into gas projects. Gabon’s flared gas currently emits about 2,244,500 tonnes of CO2 per year, enough to generate 500 MW of power. Natural gas also features prominently within the country’s 2021-2023 Plan to Accelerate Transformation (PAT), which includes a dedicated Gas Task Force headed by former Gabon Oil executive Yann Pierre A. Livulibutt Yangari. “Our gas strategy is targeting actions across the whole value-chain. In upstream, we want to get operators to explore for gas and stop considering it as a risk. In midstream, we want to see flared gas being monetised for the benefits of the Gabonese economy. Finally in downstream, we want to improve gas supplies especially of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG),” Yangari said during IN-VR’s summit. As it stands, Gabon intends to primarily monetise flared gas to generate power, manufacture urea and produce methanol. These are the major industries identified based on existing gas reserves and technology available from existing investors and operators in the country. Once these are developed, hopes are that by-products would follow, especially when it comes to LPG, CNG (Autogas) and micro-LNG. Source: DGEPF “We are working on supporting the development of a gas-based economic network to support local content development, promote technology adoption and support industrialisation,” Yangari added.   While Gabon has not discovered enough gas reserves to justify the development of more significant industries like LNG for export or gas-to-liquids, the country remains hopeful. Its 12th Licensing Bid Round has resulted in the award of new exploration blocks, and upcoming drilling campaigns could result in new gas discoveries supporting further gas developments in the medium-term. To justify the investment, Gabon is putting forward its growing industrial base driving demand for both power and gas. Last September, the Gabon Power Company (GPC) notably signed a landmark Concession Agreement with Wärtsilä for the development, supply, construction, operation, and maintenance of a new 120 MW gas-to-power project in Owendo, next to the capital city of Libreville. But beyond just the power sector, Gabon wants to provide gas to its mining, forestry, agro-industry, and steel industries. In parallel, its logistics network is expanding with railways and maritime industries both positioned to be potential off-takers sooner than later. An Opportunity for Small-Scale Gas Projects Gabon’s vision relies on the monetization of gas into CNG for transport and micro-LNG for industries. A key strategy is to expand the country’s CNG network but use micro-LNG for any remote industries located over 400km from producing fields, especially mining industries. To support such expansion, the country is seeking investors across several projects such as LPG plants, LNG and CNG plants, LNG and CNG storage, onsite regasification and bi-fuel conversion. Chief amongst them is the need to secure 30,000 cubic metres of additional butane storage capacity, up from only 4 to 5,000 cubic metres now. Source: DGEPF Port Gentil features prominently within that vision as a pilot city to grow the CNG industry. It is there that Perenco already runs a private gas retail station for 40 of its own vehicles. Now, Gabon wants to grow the market by constructing public CNG stations in partnership with oil marketers and develop a new pricing structure for CNG. The aim is clear: reduce petroleum products imports while generating additional revenues from domestic gas. Perenco Takes the Lead Perenco will be a key actor of that transition to gas. The operator is the country’s sole commercial gas producer and currently supplies gas feedstock to the power stations of Port Gentil and Libreville. In fact, 100% of Port Gentil’s power relies on Perenco’s gas while 70% of Libreville’s power is generated from the operator’s gas supply. “We have invested $500m into the development of a 400km onshore and offshore gas gathering system in Gabon that supplies gas to power plants but also key industries such as Sobraga. In the process, we created 150 jobs,” Director General Adrien Broche said during the IN-VR Summit. Perenco is now increasing its investments and leveraging on its existing infrastructure to commission a 10 to 15,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) LPG plant in Batanga by 2023. Batanga is currently the cornerstone of its gas business and is equipped with enough compressors to compress gas to over 100 bars so it can be transported across the country. “The Libreville and Port Gentil power stations currently represent an off-take of about 40 MMscfd,” Broche explained. “While only half of that capacity was coming from flared gas, we are installing additional compression capacity so all feedstock supplied to power plants comes from previously flared gas. We have installed two onshore compressors this year and are now expecting additional ones for offshore operations. By mid-2022 or early 2023, all gas we send onshore for power generation will come from previously burned resources,” he added. The Need for an Industry and Policy Consensus But to furter monetise gas and create jobs, Gabon must first find a way to aggregate

BW Energy has announced that the hook-up of the DTM-6H and DTM-7H production wells at its Dussafu Marin Permit offshore Gabon has been completed and handover to production operations made. DTM-7H (Gamba formation) was brought online yesterday, while DTM-6H (Dentale formation) is expected online in the coming days. Both wells form part of the four additional production wells drilled as part of the Tortue Phase 2 project and tied-back to the FPSO BW Adolo. Out of these four wells, DTMH-4 and DTMH-5 had already been brought on stream in early 2020 and are producing. However, DTMH-6 and DTMH-7 formed part of a second cluster initially scheduled for completion in June 2020 but delayed because of the Covid19 pandemic. Drilling resumed only in April 2021 while gross projected investment forecast for Tortue Phase 2 had to be cut from $275m to $238m. “The Tortue Phase 2 development was completed below budget and within the revised timeframe. We look forward to the production growth following first oil from the two wells. Operationally we will now focus on stabilisation of the production and wrapping up the project activities.” Carl K. Arnet, the CEO of BW Energy Gross production averaged about 9,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) in Q3 2021 and currently stands at 11,500 bopd. Source: BW Energy In parallel to the completion of Tortue Phase 2, BW Energy is preparing to execute a third development phase with the Ruche Phase 1 project. It targets the Hibiscus and Ruche Fields located 20km northwest of the Tortue Field via the drilling of up to six horizontal production wells connected to a fixed wellhead platform, itself tied back to the existing BW Adolo FPSO. The drilling is expected to be split into four wells in the Hibiscus Field and two wells in the Ruche Field, all targeting the Gamba reservoir. Full details on the development of the Dussafu Marin PSC are available in the “Projects” section within your Hawilti+ research terminal.

Nested in the Gulf of Guinea, Gabon has built itself a reputation of environmental stewardship and sustainable development of its natural resources. The country of less than 2.5m notably hosts Africa’s largest forest elephant population and is covered at 88% by rainforest. Despite being an established offshore hydrocarbons province, Gabon is steadily diversifying away from oil. A public-private partnership with ARISE IIP resulted in the establishment of one of Africa’s most modern and efficient free zones now serving a growing industrial and mining base. The country is in fact one of the world’s top producers of manganese, of which it exported almost 4m tonnes in the first half of the year. Gabon has also successfully industrialised its wood industry to become a recognised exporter of timber: between January and June 2021, the country produced over 1 million m3 of logs.  Gabon’s economy remains fairly diversified compared to that of its African neighbours. Its oil & gas sector’s contribution to the GDP stood at 37.7% in 2020 and represented 33% of government revenues last year. Oil exports also accounted for 70% of total export revenues. Maintaining the pace of investment in the country’s hydrocarbons value-chain remains a priority for the government, especially as it seeks to develop gas-based economies and use oil revenues to invest in sustainable infrastructure and the conservation of its environment. A Focus on Reversing Production Decline Gabon is member of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and produced an average of 183,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) between January and September 2021. This makes it sub-Saharan Africa’s fourth largest producer, behind Nigeria, Angola and Congo-Brazzaville and more or less at par with Ghana. Production has been in decline for several years and has stagnated in the recent past. Gabon launched its 12th Licensing Bid Round before Covid19, which it is just concluding now. The round generated relatively strong interest given market dynamics, and award letters started being issued this month with BW Energy provisionally securing two blocks along with partners Panoro Energy and VAALCO Energy. Source: DGEPF The award of new exploration acreage is much needed in order to encourage seismic acquisition and exploratory drilling and ultimately maintain production in the medium-term. Exploration has so far been a miss this year, with BW Energy’s Hibiscus Extension appraisal well (DHIBM-2) encountering water in the first half of the year, and its Hibiscus North exploration well (DHBNM-1) failing to deliver on pre-drill resource estimate in July. An Independents’ Market Gabon is an independents and national oil companies (NOCs)’ game. Shell Gabon sold all its assets in the country to Assala Energy in November 2017, and Total Gabon sold seven of its non-operated mature fields and operatorship of the Cap Lopez Oil Terminal to Perenco in July 2020. Beyond Assala Energy and Perenco, Gabon’s upstream sector is dominated by Maurel & Prom, VAALCO Energy and BW Energy along with a few NOCs such as Petronas. TotalEnergies remains the only IOC still operating upstream assets in the country. Gabon continues to offer significant opportunities for independents, both onshore and offshore. In February 2021, Panoro Energy acquired Tullow Oil’s 10% working interest in BW Energy’s Dussafu Marin Permit.  A New Strategy to Monetise Domestic Gas Gabon has been working for a few years on a new strategy to monetise gas to generate additional electricity and develop new gas-based industries. The move benefits from significant political will and support and is one of the key pillars of the country’s new three-year plan over the 2021-2023 period, dubbed Plan to Accelerate the Transformation (PAT). Because Perenco represents most of the country’s operated gas production, it will play a major role in the development of Gabon’s domestic gas market. The company completed this year studies and plans for the new 10,000 metric tonnes Batanga LPG plant, where construction is expected to start before the end of the year.  In July 2019, Gabon’s Ministry of Petroleum, Gas and Mines had also signed an agreement giving the Olowi Field to Perenco as its new operator. The field was developed between 2005 and 2018 by Canadian Natural Resources and is now to be redeveloped under an integrated gas project. Source: DGEPF Finally, an expanding gas industry will benefit the power sector. Gabon already runs several gas-to-power facilities and in September 2021, the Gabon Power Company (GPC) signed a landmark Concession Agreement with Wärtsilä for the development, supply, construction, operation, and maintenance of a new 120 MW gas-to-power project in Owendo, next to the capital city of Libreville. A Diversifying Energy Basket Beyond gas, Gabon is also expanding its energy sector with the development of its solar and water resources. Several hydropower plants are currently being developed, When it comes to hydroelectricity, Meridiam and the Gabon Power Company successfully reached financial close on the 35 MW Kinguélé Aval in July this year. Additional facilities include the 15 MW Dibwangui hydropower plant and the 73 MW Ngoulmendjim hydropower plants, whose power purchase agreements (PPA) were signed with Eranove in 2018. Solar energy is also making its entry into the country’s grid with the signing last August of a contract with the Turkish group Desiba Energy for the construction of a 20 MW solar power plant in Doubou, in the province of Ngounié. To find out about investment and business opportunities in Gabon, register for IN-VR’s Gabon Oil, Gas & Energy Summit hybrid conference taking place in Libreville and online between October 20th-22nd. More information at https://www.in-vr.co/gabon. All details on ongoing and future projects across Gabon’s energy sector are available within your Hawilti+ research terminal.

BW Energy has been provisionally awarded two offshore exploration blocks in Gabon as part of the country’s 12th Offshore Licensing Round. The company will be operator of blocks G12-13 and H12-13 with a 37.5% interest along with VAALCO Energy (37.5%) and Panoro Energy (25%). “The PSCs will have an exploration period totaling eight years which may be extended by a further two years. The partners have committed to drilling exploration wells on the blocks during the exploration period and intend to carry out a 3D seismic acquisition campaign on both blocks,” BW Energy said in a statement this morning. The selection of both blocks is not random for the three companies who already have a strong footprint in the Gulf of Guinea. Both PSCs are adjacent to BW Energy’s Dussafu Marin permit (operator, 73.5%) where production is expected to average 12,800 barrels of oil per day (bopd) this year and where BW Energy is planning two exploration wells per year for the coming five years. They are also adjacent to VAALCO Energy’s Etame Marin PSC (operator, 63.6%) where production averages 20,000 bopd. VAALCO is currently preparing a drilling campaign at Etame for which it has contracted an affiliate of Borr Drilling to drill at least two development wells and two appraisal wellbores with options to drill additional wells. Finally, Panoro Energy has been increasing its presence in the region: the company is already a non-operating partner on Dussafu Marin in Gabon where it acquired an additional 10% earlier this year along with a 14.25% in Block G in Equatorial Guinea where Trident Energy operates the Okume and Ceiba complex. Full details on the Dussafu Marin and Etame developments in Gabon and on Block G (Okume & Ceiba) in Equatorial Guinea are available in the “Projects” section within your Hawilti+ research terminal.

Yesterday, the Gabon Power Company (GPC) signed a landmark Concession Agreement with Wärtsilä for the development, supply, construction, operation and maintenance of a new 120 MW gas-to-power project in Owendo, next to the capital city of Libreville. Wärtsilä will jointly lead the project with the GPC, a subsidiary of Gabon’s sovereign wealth fund FGIS via a new joint-venture called Orinko S.A. Under the agreement signed yesterday, Wärtsilä will build the plant under a full Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract and will then operate and maintain it under a long-term 15-year Operation and Maintenance (O&M) agreement. The EPC contract and the O&M agreement will be signed in 2022 with Orinko S.A. When commissioned, the plant will supply electricity to Société d’Energie et d’Eau du Gabon (SEEG), the Gabonese utility, under a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement. Gabon is currently looking at monetizing its gas across several industries, including power generation. The country already runs several gas-to-power facilities, including the 128 MW Owendo plant, the 105 Port Gentil plant and the 75 MW Alenakiri plant. Most plants are supplied in domestic gas by Perenco. The independent delivers gas on land and at sea through a 450km network of high-pressure pipelines and currently ensure the transport and delivery of 50 MMscfd of gas to the power plants of Port-Gentil and Libreville. The new gas-to-power plant with Wärtsilä also falls within Gabon’s ambition to increase power generation capacity across the country. In July this year, the GPC and Meridiam had already successfully reached financial close for the 35 MW Kinguélé Aval hydropower plant.  

Officially launched in September 2020, the project of the new Economic Route of Gabon, dubbed “Transgabonaise”, which covers 780 kilometers from the Estuary to Haut-Ogooué, made several steps forward in recent weeks. The coating work was launched last August at PK 56, six kilometers from the base camp that the Minister of Public Works, Léon Armel Bounda Balonzi, visited a few weeks earlier. The first section of the Transgabonaise will stretch 81km and includes the Ebel Abanga-Bifoun axis, presented by users as the “path to hell”. Last May, the Gabon Highway Company (Société autoroutière du Gabon, SAG) informed that the delivery of this first section, which goes from PK24 and PK105 (Nkok and after Kango-Nsilé), will be effective in July 2022. SAG, which is in charge of construction works, had blamed delays on logistics difficulties in the transport of the material and components of the project. Things now seem back to normal, and deadlines can expected to be met. Upon completion, the 828km highway will link Libreville to Franceville and cross six of Gabon’s nine provinces. It will notably establish a strong and reliable connection between the country’s agricultural basins and provide for an efficient logistics corridor for the moving of goods within Gabon.

Following the disappointing results of its Hibiscus Extension (DHIBM-2) well on the Dussafu Marin permit earlier this year, BW Energy has discovered oil at Hibiscus North via the DHBNM-1 exploration well. The well had a geological analogue to the Ruche Field, where the Gamba structure was the primary target, and had estimated potential reserves of 10 to 40 million barrels of oil. However, upon completion of drilling by the Borr Norve Jack-up, reserves found were below the lower end of that pre-drill resource estimate. Discovered reserves will add up to the overall resource estimates of the shallow water Dussafu Marin permit where production started in 2018 from the Tortue field, and could potentially support a tie-back in the future. The overall license produced an average of 10,500 barrels of oil per day (bopd) in Q2 2021 and is a critical asset to maintain Gabon’s oil & gas output. Source: BW Energy BW Energy is currently preparing to execute a third development phase on the block with the Ruche Phase 1 project, which will follows Tortue Phase 1 and Tortue Phase 2. The Ruche development targets the Hibiscus and Ruche Fields located 20km northwest of the Tortue Field via the drilling of up to six horizontal production wells connected to a fixed wellhead platform, itself tied back to the existing BW Adolo FPSO. Current production forecasts expect a production peak of 39,000 bopd in 2024 when Tortue Phase 2 and Ruche Phase 1 are completed. Details on the development of the Dussafu Marin Permit are available in the “Projects” section within your Hawilti+ research terminal.

The Gabonese authorities intend to step up their action to improve the living environment with a particular emphasis on reducing industrial pollution and safeguarding the biodiversity of its now famous ecosystems. Aware of these challenges of sustainable development and of the transition from a “brown” economy to a “green” economy, the government is resolutely committed to a budgeting process with the objective of consolidating the bases of sustainable development. This new development approach takes into account pre-existing environmental commitments, including a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 as well as the preservation of 98% of Gabon’s tropical forests. Renewable energy sources are another important way for the government to reduce emissions and boost growth. Investing in these and other green industries, such as the sustainable development of the fisheries sector, could be the key to bridging the gap between GDP per capita and the poverty rate in Gabon, but also to support sustainable and inclusive development. Within this framework, “sustainable agriculture, sustainable fishing, renewable energy, and eco-tourism can create jobs that tackle the fundamental humanitarian challenges of food scarcity and accessibility to energy,” the government argues in its recently-published National Integrated Financing Framework (CNFI). In practice, these actions relate mainly to the implementation of a green tax framework. They involve, for example, an analysis of public finances (taxation and expenditure), in connection with the green economy, an identification of options to strengthen the links between green levies (existing and future ones) and the use of “green” taxes, as well as the dialogue around the reform proposals necessary for the establishment of a green tax framework. This last point consists of incentives for investments, intended to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions or reduce energy consumption, as well as taxes on CO2 emissions and on the use of energy-intensive technologies. A study is also planned on the scale and parafiscal mechanisms, as well as their impact on the development of the green and blue economic sectors. The government is also counting on a strategic and ambitious approach to mobilize climate finance from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) at scale. This approach should carry out a thorough assessment of the main constraints (financial, technical, legal, capacity and governance). It will also involve updating the climate investment plan (PIC) to develop 79 strategic portfolios of concrete and bankable projects to mobilize funding. Added to this is capacity building to meet financial standards, environmental and social safeguards and gender of the GCF; the identification and incorporation of institutional bridges between the different measures and approaches existing in Gabon related to climate and the environment as well as advocacy to strengthen the regional dimension of GCF projects concerning the Congo Basin. The establishment of a carbon market to monetize the country’s net carbon sequestration is also planned. Just like that of an accounting of natural capital with the evaluation of the ecosystem services provided by the country to the planet as well as the launch of a plea for the integration of natural capital in Gabon’s national accounts, in order to increase GDP while decreasing the debt-to-GDP ratio.