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New study shows 8.2 Tcf potential at Innoson’s oil & gas concession offshore Sierra Leone

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Innoson Oil & Gas, part of Nigeria’s IVM Innoson Group, revealed last week the findings of a third-party evaluation conducted by Ryder Scott Co. on its concession offshore Sierra Leone.

According to the American engineering and geological consultants, Innoson Oil & Gas’ blocks could contain up to 8.2 Tcf of gas and 234m barrels of condensate of P50 estimated un-risked gross prospective recoverable resources in the Sierra Leonean basin.

The Nigerian company had been awarded provisional Blocks 96, 97, 114, 115, 116, 117, 133, 134 and 135 in May 2020. The blocks are in shallow water off the coast of Sierra Leone. They are notably adjacent to the Reconnaissance Permit area that the Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone (PDSL) granted Wildcat Petroleum earlier this month.

Map: Wildcat Petroleum

Interest for exploration in Sierra Leone is picking up with several companies currently conducting reconnaissance operations there. The country has already shown oil deposits during previous exploration campaigns led by Anadarko, Repsol and Tullow Oil. These notably resulted in a few discoveries, though uncommercial ones. They include Venus B-1, Mercury-1, and Jupiter-1 by Anadarko in 2009, 2010, and 2012, and Savannah-1X by Lukoil in 2013.

In order to assess the potential of its concession, the company notably deployed an earth remote sensing (ERS) method, reducing the need for 2D and 3D seismic and well data.

“Asset evaluation, a field development plan and the setup of a data room are vigorously pursued with the immediate objective to engage a farm-in partner,” Innoson Oil & Gas explained in a statement.

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Mozambique to collaborate with IFC on new $4.5 bn, 1.5 GW hydropower project

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has announced the signing of a collaboration agreement with Mozambique’s Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME) on the implementation of the 1.5 GW Mphanda Nkuwa Hydropower Project and its associated transmission facilities. The $4.5bn project will be constructed in Mozambique’s central Tete Province that borders Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It will supply power both to the domestic market and to South Africa, and include a 1,300k high voltage transmission line connecting it to Maputo. Commissioning is expected in 2031. “IFC will work with the government in collaboration with GMNK to structure this important project, including the review of technical design, environmental safeguards, commercial and financial structuring,” the IFC said in a statement.

Nigerian companies team up to provide gas to West Africa’s leading industrial hub

The Lagos Free Zone (LFZ) has officially signed earlier today a Gas Infrastructure Development Agreement with Optimera Energy FZE to develop its own gas distribution network. The new project gathers some of Nigeria’s leading gas players around a new venture committed to promoting gas-based industrialisation. West Africa’s leading industrial hub needs gas Located on the Lekki Corridor, the Lagos Free Zone covers some 830ha and is quickly emerging as West Africa’s leading integrated multi-cluster industrial zone. The project is promoted by the Tolaram Group of Singapore and is co-located with the Lekki Port, Nigeria’s deepest multi-purpose seaport, expected to be completed this year. LFZ has already been successful in attracting several industrial companies and manufacturers including TG Arla, Kellogg’s, Colgate, BASF, Saba Building Systems, or Raffles Oil amongst others. As the zone grows, it seeks to cater for potential high-growth sectors such as FMCG, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, engineering, non-metallic minerals, logistics and mixed-use. This is in return increasing the need to provide world-class infrastructure, including a reliable energy supply. Optimera Energy is now in charge of building, owning, and operating the natural gas distribution network within the free zone. The project is expected to require some $20-25m, with uninterrupted deliveries of piped gas expected to start in 2024. Initial capacity will be set at 5 MMscf/d before being gradually increased to 40 MMscf/d as demand in the zone picks up. The special purpose vehicle (SPV) gathers three of Nigeria’s strongest gas players including natural gas distributor Falcon Corporation Ltd and independent oil & gas companies ND Western and First Hydrocarbon Nigeria (FHN) via their respective subsidiaries ND Western Midstream Ltd and FHN Gas Ltd. “The Optimera consortium is made up of like-minded shareholders who are passionate about a common goal: accelerating the further growth of domestic gas utilisation in Nigeria. Having reliable dedicated gas supply infrastructure installed in the LFZ adds tremendous value to existing industrial concerns and will increase the Zone’s attractiveness to future customers.” Audrey Joe-Ezigbo, Managing Director of Optimera Energy and Deputy Managing Director of Falcon Corporation. Promoters of gas-based industrialisation Falcon Corporation has been successfully operating the Ikorodu natural gas franchise in Lagos since November 2006 and will bring its experience in building and operating gas pipeline networks for industries. The company is also a bulk distributor of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in the domestic market and is actively developing LPG bulk storage infrastructure in the Niger Delta. On the other side, both ND Western and FHN are amongst Nigeria’s biggest gas producers from OML 34 and OML 26 in the Niger Delta, with combined gas reserves of over 4 Tcf. Via Optimera Energy, they will be transporting their gas to the Lagos Free Zone via the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS). ND Western has notably increasingly positioned itself as an enabler of industrialisation in Nigeria. The company already supplies gas to several power plants in the country via ELPS and exports gas to West African markets via the West Africa Gas Pipeline (WAGP). On OML 34, it has recently embarked on the development of an industrial park providing industries with direct access to cheaper gas directly at the pump. The rise of gas-to-industry in Nigeria Because the power sector remains illiquid, the promotion of gas utilization across other industries is seen as a priority under Nigeria’s Decade of Gas initiative. Chief amongst them is the expansion of the downstream gas sector, especially Autogas for cars and piped natural gas (PNG) for industries. Consequently, industrial gas off-takers are on the rise, and the volumes of domestic gas monetised by Nigerian industries (gas-to-industry) have doubled between 2015 and 2021. To know more about the trends, actors, and projects shaping up Nigeria's natural gas sector, please log into your Hawilti+ research terminal at plus.hawilti.com.