Egypt Tries Harder to Stop Energy Firm Exodus
Egypt is enhancing exploration terms and striving to repay nearly $5 billion it owes to foreign oil and gas producers as it struggles to prevent them fleeing to more promising prospects elsewhere in Africa. Cairo needs them to expand exploration and bring new finds to production if it is to keep the lights on and avoid more civil unrest. But investors are hesitant - Egypt pays them barely enough to cover investment costs. The costing issue has been compounded since the 2011 overthrow of Hosni Mubarak by Egypt's inability to pay foreign firms for existing output and its decision to divert for domestic use the share of gas they normally get to export. The crisis has left BG Group, a major investor which relies on Egypt for almost a fifth of its output, unable to meet export commitments.
Offshore Namibia's First Drill – Oil Not Found
The share price of African focused oil and gas exploration company, Chariot this week took a major tumble after the explorer announced that it had found no oil off the Namibian coast, according to an All Africa news report. Chariot's share price fell on Monday to a yearly low of 75 pounds upon confirmation that no commercial hydrocarbons were found in the Tapir South exploration well in Northern Block 1811A and the well will be plugged and abandoned. The first well of Chariot's four to five well drill programme, Tapir South was rated as having a 25% chance of success and was targeting resource potential of some 604 million barrels of oil.
Liftboat Drills Deep off Namibia on the African Coast
Chariot Oil & Gas Limited confirms that the Tapir South (1811/5-1) exploration well in Northern Block 1811A in the Namibe basin offshore Namibia has reached a total depth of 4,879 metres TVDss. The well was drilled by the Mærsk Deliverer semi-submersible drillship in 2,134 metres of water and operated by Chariot's wholly owned Namibian subsidiary, Enigma Oil & Gas (Pty) Limited. Preliminary logging results indicate that, although excellent reservoirs were penetrated, no commercial hydrocarbons were found and the well will be plugged and abandoned. The well encountered 173 metres of net reservoir sand of Cretaceous age, including two zones in excess of 30 metres with average porosities of 24% and evidence of good permeabilities.
