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Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd has announced a drilling update on Prospect I

Prospect I is located onshore Namibia in Petroleum Exploration Licence 073 (PEL73) and is the company's largest prospect to be drilled so far. It is targeting 365 million barrels of unrisked and 32 million barrels of risked prospective light/medium oil resources , or 1.9 trillion cu/ft of unrisked and 140 bn cu/ft of risked prospective natural gas resources, on a 100% working interest basis, based on the most recent prospective resources report prepared by Netherland, Sewell, & Associates, Inc. (NSAI), an independent qualified reserves evaluator. Prospect I is noted as location 63 in the NSAI report.

Brian Reinsborough, president and CEO of ReconAfrica said, "We are excited to be making great progress ahead of drilling one of the company's largest and most attractive prospects. The results of the Naingopo exploration well announced in January 2025 increased our confidence in the potential for Prospect I. We remain on track to spud the well this quarter and are looking forward to unlocking the significant potential of the Damara Fold Belt."

Pre-construction activities are continuing on schedule and the pre-drill evaluation is complete. The drilling schematic demonstrates that we are targeting a drilling depth of 3,800 metres with the potential to drill deeper, as we did for the Naingopo exploration well. The thickness of the Otavi section is expected to be approximately 1,500 metres to 1,800 metres depending on how deep we are able to drill. The learnings from the Naingopo exploration well have improved our understanding of the Damara Fold Belt with respect to our geologic model including time and depth migration for the Mulden and Otavi sections. This is the same reservoir where we encountered over 50 metres of reservoir quality carbonates and encountered oil shows in the Naingopo well.

Norwegian seismic firm TGS has completed reprocessing work on data that it hopes will spur renewed interest in Angola’s forgotten deepwater Block 16

The company has announced that it had finished work on the Block 16 GeoStreamer MC3D seismic dataset in the Lower Congo Basin, in partnership with Agência Nacional de Petróleo, Gás e Biocombustíveis (ANPG).

Exploration in the deepwater Lower Congo Basin has experienced a resurgence in recent years, TGS reported, with numerous significant discoveries being made and rapidly brought on stream.

"This 3,684-sq-km rejuvenation project utilises modern depth processing workflows to deliver enhanced imaging beyond the original data, enabling detailed evaluation of deeper target plays in both post-salt and pre-salt sections,” it said in a statement.

Angola’s Block 16 has remained largely under explored since the early 2010s, however, with the most recent exploration well drilled in 2013. Until recently, publicly-known oil and gas discoveries within Block 16, in the latest dataset, were limited to the Bengo (1994) and Longa (1995) Upper Miocene finds in the northern section.

However, TGS said that a recent re-evaluation of wells in the Lower Congo Basin has identified oil recovery from Upper Miocene reservoirs in the southern part of the survey area. The survey also provides partial coverage of the field, a marginal field development opportunity currently being marketed by ANPG.

Discovered in 2003, Tchihumba contains hydrocarbon-bearing zones within Upper Miocene, Lower Miocene and Oligocene sands, with recoverable volumes estimated at approximately 136mn barrels.

Additionally, the Lumpembe-1 oil discovery on Block 15/06, drilled in 2023 and currently undergoing development studies, falls within the survey’s coverage.

“TGS is very pleased to continue our support of exploration in this region with our high-quality seismic data,” said David Hajovsky, executive vice president multi-client, TGS. “These accumulations, along with the proximity of significant neighbouring discoveries, present strong opportunities for future exploration success.”

Other West African projects TGS has completed recently include an enhancement of its Fusion 3D seismic dataset offshore Sierra Leone, focusing on the Vega prospect.

Recent discoveries in South America have intensified interest in this region, TGS stated late last year, positioning Sierra Leone as a promising new exploration frontier.

“With growing interest from international oil companies and independents, the Fusion 3D data comes at a crucial time.”

TGS also signed an agreement last year to enhance datasets in Mauritania with the Ministère du Pétrole, des Mines et de l’Énergie, strengthening its position as the sole provider of multi-client subsurface data in the country.

Read more offshore Angola news here:

Red Sky Energy signs risk service contract on Angola Block 6-24

Cabgoc's Sanha project achieves first gas offshore Angola

Sequa Petroleum to acquire interests in multiple blocks in Angola

Subsurface technology provider, Sercel's WiNG land seismic nodal solution now has a new three component version with the launch of the WiNG DFU-3C

Addressing the high-end seismic applications for today's energy and mineral E&P market, the integrated three-component node acquires the most comprehensive and high-definition data for outstanding imaging, characterisation and monitoring of the subsurface. As part of the WiNG range, it comes complete with unique advanced features as standard, such as the ultra-sensitive QuietSeis broadband digital sensor and Pathfinder transmission management technology. Combined with its market-leading compact and lightweight design, the DFU-3C offers unprecedented precision, efficiency and portability.

Jerome Denigot, CEO, Sercel said, "The WiNG DFU-3C is an excellent example of Sercel’s commitment to providing innovative and high-performance solutions to our customers. Building on the success of our widely used WiNG single-component node, this three-component version brings greater survey accuracy and flexibility. Its vector fidelity, sensor stability and low-frequency capabilities make the WiNG DFU-3C ideal for the most demanding E&P subsurface challenges, meeting the needs of our customers in both the energy and mining markets."

The 4000km-long Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) will undergo a feasibility study update from international energy consultancy, Penspen, which will gauge the regional gas market in terms of economic and financial aspects to make a cost estimation

There will also be environmental and social evaluation, including legislation and consultation reviews, risk analysis, and development of scope of work for the front-end engineering design (FEED).

Jointly sponsored by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited (Nigeria), SONATRACH (Algeria) and SONIDEP SA (Niger), the TSGP runs from Nigeria to Algeria. The project will be able to supply up to 30 bn cu/m of natural gas across West and North Africa annually, before it goes to European markets.

Arun Behl, Penspen’s sales and marketing director (Middle East & Africa) said, "The award of the feasibility study of this high-impact project underscores Penspen’s expertise in large-scale energy infrastructure development and our commitment to advancing strategic initiatives that drive economic growth and regional stability.

“We are proud to have been selected to support the next phase of this transformative project, leveraging our extensive experience in cross-country pipeline engineering and development to deliver a sustainable and efficient energy solution.” 

This will be a re-evaluation of the initial feasibility study, also conducted by Penspen, in 2006, following the project's initiation in 2002. Since then the pipe route has evolved to require an updated review in terms of current situations. Penspen is being supported inj its research work by fellow Sidara brand Dar. 

Besides the TSGP project, Penspen has been engaged in other mega pipelines initiatives, such as the Nigeria - Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) among others. 

With an aim to boost liquefied petroleum gas' (LPG) market presence to 50% by 2030, Ghana’s downstream regulator the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) is promoting private-led investment across the petroleum value chain

Strengthened policies and technology-driven strategies are already bolstering downstream productivity, but the NPA is seeking greater investment to strengthen fuel security and distribution across West Africa.

During the Invest in African Energies: Accra Investor Briefing on April 14, 2025, taking place at the Kempinski Hotel, the NPA’s CEO Godwin Kudzo Tameklo will outline strategies being implemented by the authority to strengthen the downstream value chain in Ghana. Tameklo is expected to highlight ongoing efforts to attract investment in downstream projects, while sharing an update on the country’s developments such as the Integrated Petroleum Hub, LPG expansion and broader infrastructure advancements.

As the downstream regulator, the NPA manages the importation and refining of crude in Ghana as well as the sale, marketing and distribution of refined petroleum products across the country. The NPA works to position the downstream sector as both a major contributor to domestic product growth and catalyst for long-term economic growth in Ghana. By leveraging technology and growth-centered policy, the NPA has led the growth of Ghana’s downstream industry.

In April 2024, the country witnessed a 15.4% growth in petroleum consumption, reaching 1,641 kilotons compared to 2023, as well as a 9% rise in gasoline consumption, reaching 588.5 kilotons. In 2024, LPG consumption also witnessed a surge, rising 7.25% throughout the year to reach 340 million liters. An increase in the adoption of LPG was largely attributed to the promotion of the Cylinder Recirculation Model by the NPA – a distribution system implemented in 2023 that allows residents and commercial consumers to utilize LPG through cylinder exchange. LPG adoption rose from 28.9% in 2010 to 60% in 2023, with LPG usage increasing from 18.2% in 2010 to 44.1% in 2023. Strategic LPG projects include the Puma Energy-owned LPG bottling plant in Tema – a $6 million facility with the capacity to deliver 1,200 cylinders per hour. A second plant is being developed by the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company, with a capacity of 150 million cubic feet per day.

To further strengthen distribution, the NPA is leveraging innovative technology and policies that enhance efficiency and profitability across the downstream sector. These include the introduction of a new transparent automatic price adjustment formular, transitioning from an annual regulated pricing model; a zero-tolerance policy for toxic fuel and an increase in low sulphur fuels; as well as technology-based mechanisms such as the petroleum marking scheme, bilk road vehicle tracking project, electronic cargo tracking system and enterprise relational database management software. These mechanisms support efficient monitoring and ensure optimized quality and quantity of petroleum products in Ghana.

Beyond domestic petroleum distribution, Ghana is strengthening regional exports. In 2024, the NPA signed an agreement with Senegal and The Gambia to enhance petroleum product exports. Ghana already exports petroleum to regional neighboring, including Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Togo. According to the NPA, the volume of petroleum exports to regional countries from Ghana amounted to 385,154,100 liters. Over 5,000 service providers are registered in Ghana, delivering over four million metric tons of petroleum products annually.

The East Africa Energy Cooperation Summit (EA-ECS), taking place 29-30 January in Arusha, Tanzania, will be uniting the region's energy independent poiwer producers (IPPs) and engineering, procurement, construction and financing contract (EPCF) stakeholders to discuss the region's investment potential and innovations taking place in the industry

The event will delve into the success stories, including the Ethiopia-Kenya electricity highway, highlighting the role of cross-border collaboration for economic and social development.

Led by Ministers from across the EAC and large-scale energy users, over two days, the Arusha Summit will deep dive into opportunities for the private sector, advocating for a diversified energy mix to maintain grid stability to support major industrial growth, as well as C&I generation.

“Energy is a pillar for development and growth and is crucial for the functioning of the economies of the EAC Partner States. The East Africa Energy Cooperation Summit will serve as the ideal platform for advancing projects and bringing tangible changes in the industry,” said Andrea Malueth, deputy secretary general (Infrastructure, Productive, Social & Political Sectors), East African Community Secretariat.

“Ten years from now, the EAC’s middle classes will have more job stability, more opportunities, and more disposable income than ever before. New railways, industries, ports, and tourism will position the region as the number one investment destination globally, taking the title back from both parts of Asia and Latin America,” said Elisa Palmioli, producer, EnergyNet, which is organising the event.