The Sudan

Petroleum in Africa

The Sudan oil and gas map at the top is from the English and German Wikipedias, the article is "Sudapet", the link is listed below.

The trend in oil and gas in Africa now seems to be something like "China is a relatively newly industrializing country with a strongly rising demand for oil; China (and other Asian countries) are dominating the purchase of African oil."

To continue with the oversimplification: "America has been using a lot of petroleum for many decades and the USA is not quite sure how to wedge themselves into the new African market. Russia and former members of the USSR have been coming online with lots of oil and gas in the last 10 years and Europe of course is the big customer."

Another trend is: "Every week, new discoveries of small to medium amounts of oil are reported, in Africa and around the world."

A third trend is: "Oil companies are developing alternative forms of energy so they don't run out of money when they run out of oil."

Angola is China's biggest petrovendor, surpassing Saudi Arabia last year.

As of 2007,

Nigeria
Libya
Algeria
Egypt
Angola

account for over 80% of Africa's oil production.

Other oil producing countries include:
Gabon
Congo
Cameroon
Tunisia
Equatorial Guinea
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Cote d'Ivoire

Yet more countries producing oil:
Chad
Sudan
Namibia
South Africa
Madagascar

More countries that appear regularly at Oil and Gas.com:
Kenya
Mozambique
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe

et cetera, et cetera.

Here are the last 3 weeks' Africa Company News articles from oilandgas.com:

volume 12, Issue #13,
Friday, July 13, 2007

BP to share oil and gas discoveries with Libya
Essar wins offshore oil block in Nigeria
Zambia orders refinery to release more diesel stocks
Oil politics: Bringing China on board in Uganda
Iranian firm to upgrade Kenyan power project
Nigeria reverts disputed oil block to Malabu Oil and Gas
India allows ONGC to buy stake in Egyptian block from Shell
Nigeria Brass signs contract for LNG export project
PGNiG wins bid for Bahariya concession in Egypt
Shell denies plan to move out of Niger Delta
Agip urged to clean up oil spillage in Nigeria’s Bayelsa state
Madagascar approves Candax PSA
Petronas assessing bids for Sudan refinery project
Libya sells Tamoil to US firm Colony

volume 12, Issue #12,
Friday, June 29, 2007

Libyan Tamoil wins refinery deal in Kenya
First Calgary Petroleums wins contract from Sonatrach
Hellenic Petroleum moves into Egypt
AT&V sells oil storage and pipeline equipment to Ghana
White Nile to join consortium in South Sudan
Leni announces seismic start-up offshore Malta
Shell says security issues delay plans to end gas flaring in Nigeria
Ghana invites Samsung to invest in refinery
Kenya Power and Lighting to upgrade sub-stations
BP is lucky in Libya
Dangote Group signs MoUs with NNPC
Nigeria's shut-in oil output now 740,000 bpd
Mozambique to issue more gas exploration licences
Enagas to studyNigeria-Algeria pipeline project if it materialises
Nigeria hands over privatized refineries to investors
China-built Papalanto gas power station starts operation in Nigeria
Aminex unit eyes Tanzanian oil
BP agrees on exploration and production deal with Libya
Kenya to sign oil exploration deal with four firms
Statoil wins Tanzanian petroleum exploration area
Energy conference urges Africans to tap gas supplies
East Africa attracts hunters for oil and gas
Dana Oil & Gas wins Nigerian oil block
Shell resumes oil output at Bonny Light field

volume 12, Issue #11,
Thursday, June 14, 2007

Shell resumes 170,000 bpd production in Niger Delta
Nigeria’s privatisation program enters critical stage
Essar Energy wins oil block in Nigeria
Blue Star offers $ 561 mm for Nigerian oil refinery
IOC to import Azeri and Angolan oil to reduce dependence on Nigeria
Shell seeks $ 500 mm in damages from Nigerian court
Essar to invest $ 3.4 bn in Egyptian refinery
ExxonMobil Nigeria invests $ 3 bn to end gas flaring by 2008
Kenya seeks new partners to upgrade Mombassa oil refinery
Conoil and Dangote battle for Nigerian oil blocks
Nigeria's outgoing government sells oil concessions
ENI to invest $ 12 bn in Egyptian natural gas operations
PdVSA and PetroGambia to continue offshore exploration activities
Chevron to pay fine over kickbacks under Saddam Hussein’ regime
Equatorial Guinea may levy gas fines on ExxonMobil
Group calls on Shell Nigeria to respect ruling on gas flaring
Uganda wants a fair plan for its oil finds

http://www.gasandoil.com/

Here is a typical article:

White Nile to join consortium in South Sudan

06-06-07 UK-based explorer White Nile said officials of the semi-autonomous South Sudan government had told the company it would form part of an international consortium which will be given rights to explore an enlarged area of the region's Block B. However, the company said it was still awaiting the outcome of talks between Sudan's separate northern and southern governments covering oil exploration and production to clarify its position in the region.
White Nile halted drilling on its Kedelai-1 exploration well on Block Ba in May, reportedly on orders of Government of South Sudan President Salva Kiir.

White Nile has been concerned about the future in the block following the absorption of Paulo Matip's Southern Sudan Defence Force into the Southern Sudanese government. Matip was not part of the original 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Khartoum government and rebel groups which created the Southern Sudanese government and did not recognise the White Nile deal. Matip is now Kiir's deputy, and were reported to have held talks over the White Nile deal in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi late in May.

White Nile said officials in the Southern Sudanese capital of Juba had told it the new block would include White Nile's existing interest in Block Ba, as well as Block Bb and Bc, the company said. It said the consortium would also include French giant Total, Kuwait's Kufpec and Sudapet and NilePet, the national oil companies of northern and southern Sudan respectively.
The report echoes the recommendations of the National Petroleum Commission of the southern Sudanese government, which said earlier it had recommended Total and White Nile share Block B.

White Nile said it was confident the present talks would be resolved in its favour. The company said it had urged the governments to provide clarity on the matter as soon as possible.
However, White Nile said it understood the South Sudan government would not comment on the outcome of the negotiations with regard to oil exploration until talks with northern Sudan dealing with other issues had been wrapped up.

Source: http://www.gasandoil.com/ Click "News and Trends" or "Company News" or "Discoveries".

Other AfroPetroLinks include:

MBendi Africa::Oil and Gas Overview with hundreds of MBendi article links to individual country reports, company reports, reports on individual oil fields, African government energy agencies, et cetera. MBendi has African and worldwide coverage of mining, stock markets, agriculture, business planning and much more.

African Oil Journal Daily and weekly reports, country and corporate reports.


Sudan:
wiki:Sudapet
MBendi: Sudan Oil & Gas: An Overview
SudanUpdate's petroleum company summary
White Nile Petroleum Operating Company in Khartoum
Sudan Khartoum Refinery Company (English/Chinese)
Petronas of Malaysia
Sinopec
China National Petroleum Corporation

Nigeria
Shell Nigeria
Wiki::Petroleum in Nigeria

Angola
Sonangol Group
wiki:Sonangol Group

Egypt
Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum
wiki:Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources

Libya

Algeria

Gabon
wiki:Société Nationale Petrolière Gabonaise

Guinee Equatoriale
GEPetrol

South Africa
Sasol (originally 'Suid Afrikaanse Steenkool en Olie')

ExxonMobilAfrica

Wiki::Peak oil: "In the context of Hubbert peak theory, peak oil is the date when the peak of the world's petroleum (crude oil) production rate is reached. After this date the rate of production is predicted to enter terminal decline, following the bell-shaped curve predicted by the theory....."

and

Trans Mediterreanean Regional Energy Cooperation




The map doesn't really say, it's just as easy to build a line to Kinshasa and Brazzaville, as easy as Milano and Amsterdam.

Transport in South Africa

Transnet is a large South African rail, port and pipeline company. It was formed as a limited company on April 1, 1990. A majority of the company's stock is owned by the Department of Public Enterprises, or DPE, of the South African government. The company was formed by restructuring into business units of the operations of South African Railways and Harbours and other existing operations and products.

The business units of Transnet:

Freightdynamics - road freight, trucking, logistics
Metrorail - railway operator - suburban passenger commuter rail system
National Ports Authority - NPA - owns the country's main ports
Petronet - principal operator of South Africa's fuel pipelines
Propnet - property investment company
Protekon - transport infrastructure design
South African Port Operations (SAPO) - operates and maintains the country's main ports
Spoornet railway operator - freight and passenger service
COALlink - coal
GFB Commercial - general freight
Luxrail - the Blue Train
Orex - iron ore rail transport
Shosholoza Meyl - intercity train passenger service
Spoornet International Joint Ventures - international rail operations
Transtel - private telecommunications network, forming part of South Africa's second landline telephone operator
Transwerk - rolling stock maintenance


Transnet at the Wikipedia
Transnet official website

SABC News International

July 20, 2007, 20:45

The SABC's rolling news network is being launched tonight. The express aim of the service is to provide a uniquely African perspective in a market previously dominated by Western broadcasters.

The service, to be known as SABC News International, is being inaugurated by President Thabo Mbeki at a ceremony in Johannesburg.

Mbeki said: “We trust that this new initiative by the SABC will tell the African story in as much depth and contextual detail as possible, and physically get around the continent identifying the successes and reverses, so as to reflect what is really happening on our continent."

SABC News

The Mining Industry in Africa

As of 1990 Africa produced this percentage of the world's minerals:

??% Platinum - South Africa and Zimbabwe
75% Cobalt ore
51% Vanadium - steelmaking
49% Diamonds
40% Chromium - steelmaking
37% Gold
27% Manganese - steelmaking
25% Phospates - Morocco, Tunisia
18% Bauxite - Guinea 95%
14% Uranium -
12% Copper - the Copperbelt in RDC/Zambia
12% Mercury - Algeria 100%
10% Petroleum - especially Africa's Atlantic coast; this must have risen since 1990
09% Antimony
09% Asbestos
08% Nickel - for Stainless steel
06% Lead
05% Coal - South Africa 97%

Also: Iron ore; Exxaro in South Africa; and many, many others.

Source: Atlas of African Affairs by Professor Ieuan Griffiths, Witwatersrand University Press 1994

Vanadium, chromium, cobalt, manganese and especially nickel are used to make steel. Nickel is in stainless steel and the others are used to create high performance steel for jet engines and the like, as well as high tech uses, et cetera.

Guinea is one of the top aluminum producers in the world.

For perspective, the leading mining nations in the world include: USA, Canada, Australia, Russia, South Africa; the leading miner in South America is Chile.

For lists of active companies, Wikipedia articles include:
Aluminium in Africa
Iron ore in Africa
Platinum in Africa
Titanium in Africa

Produtos Tropicales

And, pineapple, lychee, citrus, sugar, tea, sorghum, and many more. In China, pineapples are grown in the south, and citrus is grown as far north as Shanghai and Cheju Island, Korea.

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In 1990 Africa produced this percentage of these agricultural products:


53% Cocoa - Cote d'Ivoire 55%
37% Dates - Egypt, Algeria, Sudan
27% Sisal
22% Cashew - Mozambique 46%
20% Peanuts
20% Coffee
18% Peppers
16% Palm oil
14% Bananas
13% Tea
12% Pineapple
12% Avocado
10% Eggplant - Egypt, Sudan, Morocco
07% Cotton lint
07% Sugar cane
06% Rubber
06% Tobacco
04% Wine

Source: Atlas of Africa Affairs by Professor Iuean Griffiths, published by Witwatersrand University Press 1994:::Source: FAO Production Yearbook published in 1991

The biggest product on this list was sugar cane worldwide at over 10 billion tons. In comparison, the second greatest item on the list was bananas, worldwide at 45 million tons.

Palm Oil

Or "Huile de palme" au Francais.





1 A picture from Malaysia
2 Palm oil from Ghana
3 Palm oil margarine
4 Palm oil fruit
5 Palm oil fruit


In VS Naipaul's A House for Mr Biswas, Mr Biswas runs a store out in plantation country. The story, like most of Naipaul's, is set in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago. VS Naipaul's family went from India to T+T, and like Fiji, it is very Indian, like Jamaica is very British and the Dominican Republic is very MLB.

At Mr Biswas' store, there is "red butter", and I could never understand what exactly the red butter was; it is palm oil margarine. Palm oil contains lots of betacarotene, the same molecule that creates the orange color of carrots. According to Wikipedia's Palm oil article, if one cooks the palm oil in a certain way, the oil turns a whitish color, as seen in the picture; I really don't understand at this time why carrots don't also lose their color when they are cooked.

Along with soybean oil, palm oil is the most used cooking oil in the world. It is also used to make shampoo and soap - viz the brand name "Palmolive". English Wikipedia's article "Palm oil" doesn't really give much information on the industrial uses of palm oil, nor does it give much information on where palm oil is grown. It is grown in tropical areas: Southeast Asia, West Africa, Central America, South America.


Palm oil is made from the palm oil fruit and palm kernel oil is made from the kernel of the fruit.

Here are some serious links about palm oil:

Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) (en)
Univanich Group of Thailand (en)
RIVOC (Rivers Oil Company) of Nigeria
Portuguese Wikipedia's article "Azeite-de-dendê" (pt); there is a list of the world's palm oil producers at the end of the article

There are pictures at these sites of palm oil trees that are cultivated to be only 10 or 15 feet tall, so as to make it easy to work at the palm oil farm.

République démocratique du Congo (RDC)

Or, in English, "The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)"





Brazzaville (wikilink) on the north and Kinshasa (wikilink) on the south are across the Congo River from each other. The Congo River flow is 2nd in the world, after the Amazon; its flow is greater than that of the Mississippi River. Kinshasa is the capital of RDC/DRC and it is a French-speaking city; it is the second-biggest Francophone city in the world, after Paris, ahead of Montreal.

The city of Kinshasa is organized into Communes:




A picture of the main building at The University of Kinshasa at http://www.unikin.cd/. There are a lot of universities and research centers in the DRC/RDC, here are lists at fr:wikipedia (Éducation en République démocratique du Congo) and en:wikipedia (Education in the Democratic Republic of the Congo).

Here is the link to the Catholic University of Bukavu, or Bukavu Catholic Univerity; in French the name is Université catholique de Bukavu.



This is a picture of Lake Kivu taken from the town of Bukavu, near the university. Lake Kivu is part of both the DRC and of Rwanda. The lake is deep, and the lake water is fresh down to 300 meters; below this depth, due to volcanic activity in the area, there is a lot of natural gas dissolved in the water, like carbon dioxide dissolves in water to form soda, or ammonia gas dissolves in water to form ammonia. There is more than enough gas to justify building an extraction facility; there is already a small extraction facility that provides enough natural gas to power a brewery that stands on the shores of the lake. Here is a link to a long, interesting science and engineering story written by some engineers from South Africa who were contracted to do some work on the extraction project; the story reads like New Yorker magazine and is more or less mildly politically correct.

Angola

Some companies of Angola include:

Angola Telecom
Banco Africano de Investimentos: BAI
Banco Espírito Santo Angola: BESA
Banco de Poupança e Crédito:
Banco do Comércio e Indústria: BCI
Empresa Nacional de Electricidade de Angola: Company National of Electricity of Angola
Endiama: Diamonds
MSTelecom
Sonangol Group (wikilink): Oil and Gas exploration, field management, distribution
TAAG Angola Airlines

Nigeria

Southern Nigeria; click for a larger version. In Nigeria, oil is located in Delta State. Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Angola are oil export leaders in Atlantic Africa.

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Nigerian Groups' Chinese names and generalized locations

約魯巴 Yoruba - (Southeast Nigeria in Lagos and north of Lagos)
豪萨 Hausa - (the North)
富拉尼 Fulani - (the North)
伊博 Igbo - (the Southwest; Biafra; Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States)
伊贾 Ijaw - (Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States)
伊比比奧 Ibibio - (Cross River State; Akwa Ibom State)

Mozambique

Mozambique is growing cashew and building a stock market, and sometimes it rains too much.