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2024
May 2024: ARA Petroleum announced that the Ministry of Energy granted a 25-year Development Licence over the Ntorya gas discovery area to the Ruvuma joint venture.
Mar 2024: The Government of Zanzibar (Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries) launched its 1st Licensing Round inviting bids for 8 blocks totalling 31,883 sq kms to the east of the Unguja and Pemba Islands in water depths of 500 to 3,000m.
Feb 2024: Tanzania Petroleum Development Corp. has doubled its stake in the Mnazi Bay natural gas field operated by Maurel & Prom. The two companies plan to invest US$100 mm in the project to expand gas compression infrastructure and boost drilling,
Jan 2024: Aminex (25%) announced a gas sales agreement for the Ntorya field in the Ruvuma PSA was signed today by its subsidiary, Ndovu Resources, ARA Petroleum (operator) and the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation. Initial contract quantity is 0.413 bcm a year. A pipeline is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
2023
Mar 2023: Shell, Equinor, ExxonMobil and partners plan to build a US$30 bn LNG project piping over 1000 bcm of gas from deepwater Blocks 1, 2 and 4 to a 10 mmtpa LNG plant at Lindi. Targets are for project sanction in 2025 with first cargoes exported by 2030.
2022
No significant news in 2022.
2021
Apr 2021: Total and CNOOC signed agreements with Uganda and Tanzania to construct a US$3.5 bn oil pipeline to ship oil from fields in western Uganda to to the port of Tanga in Tanzania. The Lake Albert development includes the Tilenga and Kingfisher fields plus a new East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). The projects will deliver combined production of 230,000 bbls per day with first oil export in 2025.
2020
No significant news in 2020.
2019
No significant news in 2019.
2018
Nov 2016: Equinor and ExxonMobil will start talks with the government on developing an LNG project using gas from Block 2. Shell, which operates deepwater Blocks 1 and 4, declined to say whether it would participate or pursue separate talks.
2017
No significant news in 2017.
2016
Nov 2016: Shell, Pavilion and Ophir announced the start of their 2-well drilling programme in Blocks 1 and 4 in the Mafia Deep basin in water depths of up to 2300m. These will meet the remaining exploration commitments on the blocks.
Apr 2016: Aminex announced first gas production from the Kiliwani North gas field. All gas produced during the build-up to full production will be paid for under the terms of a recently signed gas sales agreement with Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation.
Mar 2016: Aminex (operator, 55.575%) is ready to start production from the Kiliwani North-1 offshore well. The commissioning of the new Songo Songo Island gas plant is expected to commence in April. Gas will ultimately be transported by pipeline to Dar es Salaam.
2015
Aug 2015: First gas has been delivered from the Mnazi Bay Concession through the new transnational pipeline.Two wells are producing with 3 remaining due in coming months.
Mar 2015: Statoil (operator, 100% for this well) announced a gas discovery in Block 2 at the Mdalasini-1 exploration well in 2,296m of water bringing discovered gas volumes in Block 2 to approximately 625 bcm. It will now appraise one of its 7 earlier discoveries.
Feb 2015: Orca Exploration (100%) is developing options to increase production at the Songo Songo on and offshore gas development. A first phase will involve working over the suspended SS-5 and SS-9 and the producing SS-7 wells along with drilling a new development well (SS-12).
2014
Oct 2014: Statoil (operator, 65%) and ExxonMobil (35%) announced the Giligiliani-1 well, in the west of Block 2 in 2500m of water, has discovered gas. Giligiliani is the seventh discovery in Block 2 (including Zafararani-1, Lavani-1, Tangawizi-1, Mronge-1 and Piri-1).
Oct 2014: The Kamba-1 well, drilled in Block 4 in a water depth of 1,379m by BG with Ophir (20%), is a gas discovery. It is expected to hold volumes in excess of 28 bcm. Kamba-1 is the 16th consecutive discovery in Blocks 1, 3 and 4 and has now almost confirmed sufficient resources in the blocks to supply 3, 5mmtpa LNG trains.
Sep 2014: Maurel & Prom (48.06%) has announced that, with partners Wentworth (31.94%) and Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (20%), it has signed a gas sales agreement for gas from the onshore Mnazi Bay and Msimbati fields in the south to the Mtwara to Dar es Salaam pipeline and Madimba CPF. First gas is expected in early 2015.
Aug 2014: Aminex has announced that new seismic data show that the onshore Ntorya and Likonde discoveries in the Ruvuma PSA are connected with a consequent increase in estimated resources .
Jun 2014: , Statoil (65%), operating on behalf of the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC), and ExxonMobil (35%) have discovered gas in the Piri well in 2,360m of water in Lower Cretaceous sandstones, similar to Zafarani-1 drilled in 2012. This is the fifth new discovery in Block 2 bringing total in-place volumes to over 550 bcm. The well was drilled by a drillship 2 kms SW of Lavani-1.
Jun 2014: Ophir has announced a gas discovery in the Taachui-1 well and sidetrack in Block 1. The well was drilled by the Deepsea Metro drillship in 991m of water close to the west boundary of Block 1. It encountered net gas pay of 155m within the Cretaceous and will further underpin a potential third LNG Train from Blocks 1, 3 and 4. BG is operator of Blocks 1, 3 and 4 with 60% along with Ophir (40%).
2013
Dec 2013: Statoil, operator with 65% and ExxonMobil (35%) have announced a 5th gas discovery in Block 2. The Mronge-1 well was drilled by the drillship Discoverer Americas 20 kms north of Zafarani in 2,500m of water. It was preceded by 3 discoveries during the first drilling phase; Tangawizi, Zafarani and Lavani and a deeper discovery in a separate reservoir in Lavani.
Oct 2013: Deep Sea Offshore Blocks (7) and the Lake Tanganyika North Offshore Block (1) will be available in the 4th Licensing Round to be launched on 25th Oct 2013. The Offshore Blocks are in 2,000 to 3,000m of water adjacent to proven blocks. The Lake Tanganyika Block is located in 1,500m of water along the western arm of the East African Rift System.
Jul 2013: BG raised its estimate for recoverable resources of natural gas from its offshore discoveries to around 370 bcm following its 8th consecutive find; the Ngisi-1 well in Block 4. BG Group is in the process of selecting a site for an onshore LNG plant. The capacity of the terminal will be determined by further drilling results across the company's 3 offshore blocks.
Jul 2013: BG has a new gas discovery at Mkizi in Block 1. BG Group operates Blocks 1, 3 and 4 in Tanzania with 60% along with Ophir (40%). The Mkizi-1 well was drilled by the Deepsea Metro I drillship in 1,301m of water between the Mzia and Jodari discoveries. The drillship will now move on to drill two appraisal wells on the Pweza discovery in Block 4.
Jul 2013: Operator Ndovu Resources (75%) and Solo Oil (25%) have announced that an Appraisal Licence at its Ntorya discovery has been approved. Ntorya-1 was drilled in the Ruvuma PSA, which covers 6,079 sq kms on the border with Mozambique, in 2012 and tested gas and condensate. The appraisal programme will include seismic and an appraisal well with gas commercialised via the planned 36" diameter pipeline that will run through the area to Dar es Salaam.
Jul 2013: Ophir has announced a gas discovery in the Ngisi-1 well and sidetrack, drilled by the Deepsea Metro I drillship to the northeast of the Chewa-1 well. The wells increase recoverable resource estimates of the Chewa-Pweza-Ngisi hub to 127 bcm and demonstrate the feasibility of drilling highly deviated wells. The wells also provide critical mass for the development of gas discoveries in Block 4, to be piped ashore and combined with Block 1 resources for conversion to LNG.
Apr 2013: Ophir Energy has announced a successful DST in Block 1 on the Mzia-2 appraisal well confirming 62m of net gas pay in Cretaceous reservoirs giving a vertical gas column of at least 200m for the Mzia Field. Ophir estimates that estimated recoverable resources in the Mzia Field have increased to 127 bcm. The Deep Sea Metro 1 drillship is now spudding the Ngisi-1 exploration well in Block 4. Ophir holds 40% of Blocks 1, 3 and 4 in Tanzania with operator BG holding 60%.
Mar 2013: Statoil has announced their third discovery in offshore Block 2 in a year. Tangawizi discovered around 140 bcm of gas in place. The discovery is 10 kms from the Zafarani and Lavani discoveries in a water depth of 2,300m. Statoil operates the licence with 65%. ExxonMobil holds the remaining 35%.
2012
Dec 2012: The government has delayed a licensing round for 9 deep water blocks prior to ratification of a new gas policy in early 2013. The round will cover blocks in water depths between 1200m and 3500m.
Sep 2012: Ophir Energy provided an update of exploration programs. On Block 1 seismic and analysis has increased estimates of in-place gas resources at the Upper Cretaceous Mzia discovery. Similar analyses continue on the Upper Cretaceous Papa discovery in Block 3. Tertiary-age sands in Block 1 are analogous to thos to the south on the Rovuma Delta off Mozambique. Drilling will re-start on Block 1 with a drillship focusing on the Jodari discovery to confirm reserves for an LNG development.
South and East Africa
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