00A_COVER_CONGO_2014.qxp_Layout 1 12/4/14 3:08 PM Page 1 THE OIL & GAS YEAR The Who’s Who of the Global Energy Industry ARTICLES | INTERVIEWS | VIEWPOINTS | MARKET ANALYSIS | RESOURCES | PROJECTS | MAPS | INVESTOR SPOTLIGHTS THE OIL & GAS YEAR CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE 2014 9 781783 020867 ISBN 978-1-78302-086-7 2014 www.theoilandgasyear.com CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE Adapt to thrive André Raphaël LOEMBA Minister of Hydrocarbons Future prominence Jérôme KOKO Director General SNPC Total’s challenge Pierre JESSUA Director General TOTAL E&P CONGO 00A_COVER_CONGO_2014.qxp_Layout 1 12/4/14 3:08 PM Page 2 01_CONTENTS_CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE_2014.qxp 12/4/14 3:15 PM Page 1 01_CONTENTS_CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE_2014.qxp 21/01/15 19:32 Page 2 CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE 2014 THE OIL & GAS YEAR The Who’s Who of the Global Energy Industry In partnership with: CONTENTS Content partners: 2 18 26 CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE 2014 Diplomacy & Policy Exploration & Production About 15 years after the end of its civil war, Congo-Brazzaville continues its momentum towards a more stable political environment. The country has embarked on gradual reforms of the economy, extending to oil and gas activities. Tax allowances for major oil companies and a more relaxed profit-sharing scheme have led to a new influx of foreign investment by international oil companies. With projects such as Total’s $10-billion Moho Nord and full-scale production expected in Eni’s Nene Marine field in 2016, Congo-Brazzaville is attempting to stem the steady decline in its oil production. Eni’s multi-billion-dollar oil sands initiative is also underway in the country. These developments are anticipated to strengthen the national economy, with international oil companies appearing hopeful about Congo-Brazzaville’s long-term prospects. 8 THE YEAR IN REVIEW 9 INTERVIEW: André Raphaël Loemba, Minister of Hydrocarbons 9 IN PRODUCTION: Regional oil production, 2009-2013 12 INTERVIEW: Jérôme Koko, SNCP 13 THE YEAR’S AWARDS 14 CONGOBRAZZAVILLE AT A GLANCE 15 THE INVESTORS INDEX 16 THE YEAR IN ENERGY 18 DIPLOMACY & POLICY 19 ARTICLE: Infrastructure on the way. The end of CongoBrazzaville’s civil war in 1999 has paved the way for a stable economy and an influx of foreign investment 20 IN BUSINESS: Ease of Doing Business rankings among sub-Saharan countries 21 INTERVIEW: Florent Michel Okoko , EITI 21 IN EXPORTS: Value of Congo-Brazzaville’s oil exports 22 INTERVIEW: Christian Barros, Unicongo 24 ARTICLE: Natural gas policy in Congo-Brazzaville. Overcoming obstacles to gas production 25 INTERVIEW: Sylvestre Didier Mavouenzela, Chamber of Commerce 25 IN ACCOUNTS: Congo-Brazzaville’s current account balance estimates 26 EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION 27 ARTICLE: Projects on the horizon. Congo-Brazzaville seeks to reverse trends of declining production 28 IN CAPACITY: Major oil producers’ estimated yearly production capacity by field, 2012 29 MAP: Hydrocarbons block map 30 GEOLOGY REPORT: Congo Basin petroleum geology 31 INTERVIEW: Pierre Jessua, Total E&P Congo 32 COMPANY PROFILE: Soco EPC 33 PROJECT HIGHLIGHT: Mengo-Kundji-Bindi fields development THE OIL & GAS YEAR | CONGOBRAZZAVILLE 2014 34 COMPANY PROFILE: Maurel & Prom 35 COMMENT: Near-term trophies. Congo-Brazzaville’s presalt shows potential for future discoveries while Eni, Total and Chevron continue work onshore and in shallow water 36 INTERVIEW: Pierre Narcisse Loufoua, Groupe AOGC 36 IN COMPARISON: Congo-Brazzaville crude oil production and consumption, 2004-2013 37 COMPANY PROFILE: CNOOC 38 INTERVIEW: Cyriaque Etroubeka, Sonarep 38 IN PRODUCTION: Actual and predicted oil production from Mengo-Kundji-Bindi fields 40 THE YEAR’S FOCUS: Moho Nord 41 ARTICLE: A new hope. Total’s $10-billion Moho Nord project is targeting first oil by 2016 and a peak output of 140,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day 41 IN THE GROUND: Reserves of projected offshore field developments in Africa, 2013-2017 42 COMPANY PROFILE: Aker Solutions Congo 43 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHT: Hyundai Heavy Industries, Doris Engineering, Ponticelli Frères 44 MAP: Moho Nord watercolour 45 INTERVIEW: Kevin Legris, Technip 46 BANKING, LEGAL & FINANCE 47 ARTICLE: Helped by healthy financials. Congo-Brazzaville has established a sovereign wealth fund and is considering new financial options for the development of the sector 48 IN GROWTH: Congo-Brazzaville’s GDP growth rate, 20042013 49 COMPANY PROFILE: Société Générale Congo 50 INTERVIEW: Emmanuel Le Bras, PwC Congo 51 COMMENT: Estimates of fast growth. Outlook for the CEMAC 52 MARKET ANALYSIS: Legal changes a boon for advisers. Robert Prosper Nken, KPMG Congo 53 COMMENT: Eni bets on Congo-Brazzaville. Eni’s activities worldwide and its opportunities in Congo-Brazzaville www.theoilandgasyear.com The Who’s Who of the Global Energy Industry 01_CONTENTS_CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE_2014.qxp 12/4/14 3:15 PM Page 3 01_CONTENTS_CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE_2014.qxp 12/4/14 3:15 PM Page 4 CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE 2014 The Oil & Gas Year is audited by BPA Worldwide CONTENTS 4 40 46 56 CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE 2014 The Year’s Focus: Moho Nord Banking, Legal & Finance Engineering & Construction Total’s $10-billion Moho Nord project is not only Congo-Brazzaville’s first deepwater offshore development but is also the largest field development programme the country has undertaken. The company is targeting first oil by 2016 and peak output at 140,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2017. If this goal is met, it will place Congo-Brazzaville in the top-three hydrocarbons producers in sub-Saharan Africa. Activity has been rife in Congo-Brazzaville’s construction industry, especially in the offshore sector. Developments driven by Eni and Total have attracted a raft of international contractors to the country. In 2014, competition is fierce and tight margins are prevalent in the domestic hydrocarbons market. Companies operating in the country include Saipem subsidiary Boscongo, as well as France’s Technip. Congo-Brazzaville is both reforming its legislation governing the hydrocarbons industry and seeking to further develop its financial services sector. By providing a wider range of financial options for producers, facilitated by its legal regime, the government hopes to achieve sustainable economic growth on the back of its energy wealth, while it is also looking to play a more active role in the Economic Community of Central African States. 54 MARKET ANALYSIS: Sub-contractors’ paradise lost? Roland Bembelly, Cabinet Gomes 55 INTERVIEW: Marc Alexandrenne, Deloitte Congo 55 IN OIL RENT: Oil rent as proportion of GDP, 2003-2012 56 ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION 57 ARTICLE: Blended oil projects. Major domestic projects are encouraging competition in associated sectors 57 IN EXPENDITURE: Forecasted capex in sub-Saharan offshore sector by operator, 2013-2017 58 IN EXPENDITURE: Forecasted capex in sub-Saharan offshore sector by build process type, 2008-2012 and 2013-2017 60 COMPANY PROFILE: Boscongo 60 IN YARDS: Size of Saipem fabrication yards in southwestern Africa 61 PROJECT HIGHLIGHT: Pointe-Noire Fabrication Yard 62 COMPANY PROFILE: Socofran 63 COMPANY PROFILE: Renco Congo 65 COMPANY PROFILE: Sicim 66 COMPANY PROFILE: GNCAC 66 IN EXPENDITURE: Capital expenditure in sub-Saharan offshore sector by segment 67 COMMENT: Connections across difficult terrain. A pipeline project between Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville poses challenges due to lack of infrastructure 68 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHTS: Foselev Congo, Tractafric Equipment Congo, Lassarat Congo, Prozydak 69 COMPANY PROFILE: Subsea 7 69 IN REVENUES: Subsea 7’s revenues by region in 2013 70 COMPANY PROFILE: Bouygues Energy and Services Congo 71 ARTICLE: Built to last. Congo-Brazzaville’s developing shipbuilding industry 72 OFFSHORE INFRASTRUCTURE & SERVICES 73 ARTICLE: Offshore, on target. Despite Murphy Oil’s imminent move out of Congo-Brazzaville’s offshore, projects such as Total’s Moho Nord are encouraging optimism THE OIL & GAS YEAR | CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE 2014 73 IN RIGS: Types of drilling rigs in Congo-Brazzaville 74 IN RIGS: Global rig utilisation by region, November 2014 FOLDOUT MAP: Offshore hydrocarbons infrastructure 75 COMPANY PROFILE: Jifmar 76 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHTS: Searov Offshore, RK Offshore Congo, Tidewater Marine International, Petro Services 77 INTERVIEW: Benoît Baudet, Bourbon Offshore Surf Congo 77 IN DEVELOPMENT: Water depths of major offshore field developments in West and Central Africa 78 OILFIELD & ASSOCIATED SERVICES 79 ARTICLE: Pre-salt is the name of the game. Services companies eye a slew of new upstream projects as upstream investment spurs on local growth. 79 IN EXPORTS: Major exports destinations of CongoBrazzaville in 2012 80 IN IMPORTS: Percent changes in import volumes of all items including goods and services, 2011-2015 81 MARKET ANALYSIS: More under the surface. Indira Moudi, Baker Hughes 82 COMPANY PROFILE: Halliburton 83 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHTS: SGS Congo, Bureau Veritas Congo 84 COMPANY PROFILE: Weatherford 85 COMMENT: Efforts to cap costs. Costs of deepwater exploration are rising in West Africa 86 COMPANY PROFILE: Inter-Continental des Services 87 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHTS: Expro Worldwide BV Congo, Air Liquide 88 ARTICLE: Look local. Congolisation is a slow process that will benefit all industry actors in the country 89 COMPANY PROFILE: Servtec 90 COMPANY PROFILE: Prezioso 91 VIEWPOINT: A promising market. Fabio Ottonello, Group Otto 92 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHTS: Scab Congo, Apave Congo, SPIE Oil and Gas, Iota Group 93 MARKET ANALYSIS: Add local value. Pierre Balmefrezol, Ogas Solutions www.theoilandgasyear.com The Who’s Who of the Global Energy Industry 01_CONTENTS_CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE_2014.qxp 12/4/14 3:15 PM Page 5 01_CONTENTS_CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE_2014.qxp 12/4/14 3:15 PM Page 6 CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE 2014 THE OIL & GAS YEAR The Who’s Who of the Global Energy Industry CONTENTS 6 78 94 110 CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE 2014 Oilfield & Associated Services Ports & Logistics Gas, Power & Downstream Congo-Brazzaville is expected to surpass Equatorial Guinea to become sub-Saharan Africa’s third-largest oil producer by 2017, encouraging a number of international services providers to enter the market. 2015 and 2016 are set to host a flurry of new activity, but as drilling will be conducted largely in subsea basins off the coast of the country and transportation networks centre on the Pointe-Noire port, these projects are expected to be logistically sound. Congo-Brazzaville has increased the share of gas in its electricity production from close to zero in 2004 to 37 percent by the end of 2011, according to the World Bank. The development of the power generation sector in the country has been driven by this increase in the usage of natural gas, alongside an expansion of its hydropower capacity. Government policy to develop power-generation infrastructure has set the country on the path towards achieving stable economic development. As Congo-Brazzaville attempts to reverse a recent trend of declining oil production, while also diversifying its economy away from its dependence on hydrocarbons, pressure on its logistics infrastructure is mounting. Much of this network is uncompetitive, which is negatively impacting the country’s oil and gas industry. A number of projects are underway to try to improve the transport environment. 94 PORTS & LOGISTICS 95 ARTICLE: Infrastructure impulse. Congo-Brazzaville’s infrastructure requires substantial work 96 IN TRANSIT: Congo-Brazzaville’s Logistics Performance Index rankings, 2010-2014 98 INTERVIEW: Pierre Bellerose, Bolloré Africa Logistics Congo 98 IN COSTS: Import cost per twenty-foot container, 2013 99 COMMENT: Joint forces. Total teams up with Qatar Petroleum International on the Moho Nord project 100 MARKET ANALYSIS: Point of entry. Denis Cordel, Necotrans Congo 101 COMMENT: A transport corridor. The development plan of the port of Brazzaville 102 COMPANY PROFILE: NileDutch Congo 103 COMMENT: African ports out of step. Africa needs bigger port infrastructures 104 INTERVIEW: Alain Ludovic Okoi, ILOGS 105 COMPANY PROFILE: TLC CONGO 105 IN SHARES: Ownership of the Lianzi field 106 COMPANY PROFILE: Chemin De Fer Congo-Océan 107 VIEWPOINT: Improved logistics. Andrew Colquhoun, Fortis Logistique 108 INTERVIEW: Frederik De Vos, SCLOG 108 IN CREDIT: Getting Credit rankings, 2014 109 MAP: Regional logistics network 110 GAS, POWER & DOWNSTREAM 111 ARTICLE: Electrification as enlightenment. CongoBrazzaville is attempting to change the structure of its power supply by increasing the share of natural gas 111 IN RETAIL: Service stations by brand in CongoBrazzaville, April 2014 113 COMPANY PROFILE: Gas Management Congo 113 IN VOLUME: Storage of petroleum products by city, 2013 114 PROJECT HIGHLIGHT: Litchendjili Gas Plant 115 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHTS: Dietsmann, Puma Energy, XOil Congo, Total Distribution 116 EXECUTIVE GUIDE 117 ACCOMMODATION 121 EVENTS 123 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS | ADVERTISERS INDEX 124 IN BRIEF Publisher: Emmanuelle Berthemet Editor-in-Chief: Gilles Valentin COO: Aslı Konyalı Regional Director: Ioana Marins Country Director: Ellis Talton Country Co-ordinator: Sara Martinez Managing Editor: Simon Johns Production Manager: Alex Mazonowicz Chief Sub-Editor: Amanda Towle Deputy Chief Sub-Editor: Suzanne Carlson News Editor: Nick Augusteijn Co-ordinating Sub-Editor: Sibel Akbay Sub-Editors: John Houghton-Brown, Jessenia Chapman, James Kiger, Laura Moth, Daniel Salinas, Jordan Schultz, Christina St John Editorial Intern: Faustine Deffobis Web Editor: Angus Foggie Contributors: Owen Barron, Dan Brookes, Eric Eissler, Matt Mossman, Helena Oh, Daniel Rosinsky-Larsson, Martin Vladimirov, Jasmine Whiting Creative Director: Begüm Alpay Co-ordinating Art Director: Melis Tüzün Art Directors: Javier González, Ahmet Sağır, Didem Tereyağoğlu Director of Global Circulation: Ebru Ak Human Resources: Serra Pelit Printing: APA Uniprint Production: Wildcat International FZ-LLC ISBN 9781-78302-086-7 E-mail [email protected] visit www.theoilandgasyear.com Cover: photograph courtesy of ILOGS The Oil & Gas Year is a trading name of Wildcat International FZ-LLC. Copyright Wildcat International FZ-LLC 2014. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopied, facsimiled, recorded or otherwise, without the prior permission of Wildcat International FZ-LLC. Wildcat International FZ-LLC has made every effort to ensure that the content of this publication is accurate at the time of printing. However, Wildcat International FZ-LLC makes no warranty, representation or undertaking, whether expressed or implied, nor does it assume any legal liability, direct or indirect, or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information contained in this publication. THE OIL & GAS YEAR | CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE 2014 www.theoilandgasyear.com INTERNATIONAL Exploring knowledge Extracting intelligence Refining communication The Who’s Who of the Global Energy Industry 01_CONTENTS_CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE_2014.qxp 12/4/14 3:15 PM Page 7 01_CONTENTS_CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE_2014.qxp 12/4/14 3:15 PM Page 8 THE YEAR IN REVIEW 9 Adapt to thrive 12 Future prominence Jérôme KOKO Director General SOCIÉTÉ NATIONALE DES PÉTROLES DU CONGO 13 The Year’s Awards 02_THE YEAR IN REVIEW_CONGO_2014.qxp 12/4/14 3:19 PM Page 9 Adapt to thrive In addition to reviewing its Hydrocarbons Code in April 2014, CongoBrazzaville’s Ministry of Hydrocarbons also announced intentions to have a new bidding round for 10 permits. Minister of Hydrocarbons André Raphaël Loemba talks to TOGY about how law revisions and new exploration activities are set to raise the Central African country’s international oil and gas profile. Does the Hydrocarbons Code need a revision? Congo-Brazzaville’s Hydrocarbons Code dates back to 1994. Many things have changed in the last two decades in the global petroleum industry, so we must adapt our legal and fiscal framework to the economic, technological, environmental and social challenges of the world in 2014. In Congo-Brazzaville’s case, after 30 years of production, many of the oilfields have reached their mature phase. We must create a law that puts an emphasis on renewing our reserves and battling the natural decline of these fields. We need new attractive legal and fiscal framework that is balanced, taking into consideration the global trends of the oil and gas industry. How is the use of natural gas factored in? This subject is important and strategic for the country, and we are taking measures that will allow us to augment our gas reserves, including addressing them in the new Hydrocarbons Code I believe Congo-Brazzaville’s natural gas will be effectively used in a number of ways. Firstly, it will be used to create electricity, which is a fundamental necessity for the development, modernisation and industrialisation of our country. The power plant at Côte-Matève, which has a capacity of 300 MW, will undergo a large expansion. This expansion will occur in parallel with the increase in gas production from the Marine 12 permit, operated by Eni Congo. Secondly, LPG, butane and propane will be a large part of this initiative. We must increase our production capacities, transport and distribution so that LPG can be distributed to all corners of Congo-Brazzaville. As a result, we will decrease reliance on wood as an energy source. The Who’s Who of the Global Energy Industry Thirdly, studies are underway to determine the cost of using gas to create urea and ammonia. Depending on the reserves, it could also be possible to build an LNG export terminal. A gas master plan is being developed, which will allow us to adapt a strategy that takes into consideration our reserves as well as the needs of the country. What is the importance of the three major projects underway in the country? Total’s Moho Nord, which is the largest project ever established in Congo-Brazzaville, will not only bring us additional reserves, but also a high level of activity with first oil expected in 2016. Eni Congo’s Litchendjili development will allow us to ensure sustainable natural gas supplies for the power plant at Côte-Matève. Finally, Chevron’s Lianzi development, which has been green-lit as a result of a unitisation agreement between Congo-Brazzaville and Angola, reinforces the relations between the two countries. We are putting a strong emphasis on local content with all these projects, notably the recruitment of local personnel, training and development of Congolese competence and the use of local fabrication yards and shore bases. PRODUCTION IN 9 INTERVIEW What does the launch of a new bidding round mean for Congo-Brazzaville? We have redrawn the division of the blocks in the country, including the coastal and interior basin. During one of the country’s largest conferences held in Brazzaville in April 2014, the ministry made information on the free blocks available to potential investors. We must renew our reserves. To do that, we need to encourage exploration in open permits is needed. These 10 new blocks will be offered for bid after the new hydrocarbons law is passed. André Raphaël LOEMBA Minister of Hydrocarbons Many things have changed in the last two decades in the global petroleum industry, so we must adapt our legal and fiscal framework. Regional oil production, 2009-2013 (thousand barrels per day) Congo Gabon 400 Equatorial Guinea 350 300 250 IN FIGURES 200 150 Number of permits to be offered in bidding round 100 10 50 0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Source: BP Statistical Review 2014, MMIE THE YEAR IN REVIEW INTERVIEW First oil from Moho Nord 2016 THE OIL & GAS YEAR | CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE 2014 02_THE YEAR IN REVIEW_CONGO_2014.qxp 12/4/14 3:19 PM Page 10 02_THE YEAR IN REVIEW_CONGO_2014.qxp 12/4/14 3:19 PM Page 11 02_THE YEAR IN REVIEW_CONGO_2014.qxp 12/4/14 3:19 PM Page 12 INTERVIEW THE YEAR IN REVIEW Future prominence Jérôme KOKO Director General SNPC 12 INTERVIEW The end goal is not to merely participate, but to be the operator. For this reason, we think that the new law should reinforce SNPC’s role. IN FIGURES 2014 first-semester average production at Kundji site 700 barrels of oil per day Five-year goal from MengoKundji-Bindi project 15,000 barrels of oil per day THE OIL & GAS YEAR | CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE 2014 Founded in 1998, the state-owned Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo (SNPC) is Congo-Brazzaville’s state integrated oil and gas company. Its primary operations are in the production, refining and transportation of petroleum. Jérôme Koko, the SNPC’s director general, speaks with TOGY about a possible pipeline from PointeNoire to Brazzaville and the role of SNPC in the future of the local oil industry. How will revisions to Congo-Brazzaville’s hydrocarbons law change SNPC’s role? SNPC needs to play a more central role among all the players involved in Congo-Brazzaville’s hydrocarbons industry. For example, there are oil and gas production permits underway in 2014 in which SNPC has no role at all. In the future, this should no longer be possible. It should be necessary for us to participate either as an operator or as a participant. The end goal is not to merely participate, but to be the operator. For this reason, we think that the new law should reinforce SNPC’s role and enable it to be a true main actor in the hydrocarbons industry. Of course, it should do this without excluding our partners, which have much more experience in the field than our company does and with which we hope to continue to work in the coming years. A pipeline from Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville has been a topic of discussion in the industry since at least 2010. What is its status in 2014? It is true that we have plans to build a pipeline for finished products from Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville, and from there up into the north of the country. It is expected to stretch more than 500 kilometres. Yet, in 2014, we are transporting finished products by road and railway. I am not saying that such forms of transportation will be discontinued. Road travel is fine over short distances, but long distances create risk. Railway transport, since we only have a one-track railway, causes delivery delays. A pipeline will allow us to transport finished products with fewer obstacles. This pipeline will change drastically, if not revolutionise, the supply of our country’s interior, and maybe even that of bordering countries, such as the Central African Republic, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The latter of these is in 2014 one of the biggest supply routes for finished products. The project is being managed entirely by SNPC. We are financing studies that are already underway and should be finalised by 2015. Then we will have an estimated cost for the project, which we will begin with right away. For now we have not had any offers or interest from other parties that would like to join us. For us this project is both commercial and political. That is why we are committed to pushing it forward ourselves, even if we had hoped that there would be other partners. What is the background of SNPC in CongoBrazzaville and how do you see the company changing in the next five years? SNPC was created to participate in the hydrocarbons industry and also in the development of Congo-Brazzaville at large. Previously SNPC held non-operating interests in acreage rather than acting on the production side. We participate in permits with other major companies that work here in Congo-Brazzaville, notably with Eni, Total and Chevron. However, in 2010 SNPC became an operator on the onshore Mengo-Kundji-Bindi development. In 2014, we are producing around 700 barrels of oil per day from the Kundji pilot project site. This is done through our upstream subsidiary Sonarep. We have drilled our own wells at the site using our drilling subsidiary the Société de Forages Pétroliers. By 2019, we hope to reach 15,000 barrels of oil per day on the three fields (Kundji, Mengo and Bindi) after full field development. In addition to our activities in the upstream sector, we are responsible for the sale of petroleum that comes back to the state through royalties and shared production. We also supply the country with finished petroleum products from our Congolaise de Raffinage refinery. The facility processes two categories of Congolese oil: Djeno Melange and N’Kossa Blend, which are the main crudes produced in Congo-Brazzaville. What are some of your expectations for the company during 2015? What specific targets does SNPC hope to surpass by that time? By August 2015, the company will have taken a giant step forward, in that we will have launched, together with our partners, the first drilling site in the Cuvette Basin. SNPC will have finished studies on the pipeline set to run from Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville and may have already undertaken the construction. The company also aims to establish itself as a prominent oil and gas operator. The Who’s Who of the Global Energy Industry 02_THE YEAR IN REVIEW_CONGO_2014.qxp 12/4/14 3:19 PM Page 13 THE YEAR’S AWARDS – CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE 2014 MAN OF THE YEAR André Raphaël LOEMBA THE YEAR IN REVIEW Hydrocarbons activity and investment in Congo-Brazzaville between 2013 and 2014 may have exceeded anything the country’s industry had witnessed previously. The beginning of Total’s $10-billion Moho Nord project, easily the largest offshore project in the history of the country, confirms to the industry that Congo-Brazzaville is a safe destination for large-scale investments, and that it is doing the right things to foster developments of the sort. The discovery of Eni’s immense Nene Marine field, the advent of a key exploration bidding round and the restructuring of the country’s hydrocarbons law, too, have fallen under the authority of the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Minister André Raphaël Loemba. In 2014, national oil company Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo has found itself in the midst of its first onshore development project as an operator. As the largest upstream development project onshore, the MKB Development has seen the company drill six wells in the acreage. By 2016, it expects to be producing at least 5,000 barrels of oil per day from close to 40 wells. This represents a more than seven-fold increase from production in 2014 of 700 barrels of oil per day. Investment in the surface equipment for the field will total €32 million. OFFSHORE PROJECT OF THE YEAR Valued at $10 billion, the Moho Nord project (Total, 53.5 percent, Chevron, 31.5 percent and Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo, 15 percent) is having a major impact on the Congolese economy and on local companies. While much of the activity is set to roll out in 2015 and 2016, the project is already breaking records on many fronts. Moho Nord is the largest offshore investment in the country, the first time Total has connected a tension-leg platform to a floating production unit and, at the time of awarding, was the largest subsea project undertaken by France’s Technip. DISCOVERY OF THE YEAR Although originally announced in 2013, the 1.2 billion barrels of oil and 42.5 bcm (1.5 tcf) of gas that constitute the Nene Marine discovery are still undergoing development drilling in 2014. Not only was the find one of the largest discoveries in the world in 2013, it was also a significant step in the pre-salt domain for Congo-Brazzaville. The shallow water discovery, in some 27 metres of water, was made in a block with a 20-year exploration history, indicating that new technology and a new perspective can breathe new life into the country’s acreage. INVESTMENT OF THE YEAR In 2010, discussions began between the governments of Congo-Brazzaville and Qatar on what projects or opportunities may be ripe for investments in the Central African country. Considering all the projects that were on the table domestically, Total E&P Congo proposed to Qatar Petroleum International to increase its own capital, in order to facilitate new investments. Qatar Petroleum International’s investment in Total E&P Congo, representing a 15-percent share capital increase, is directed at existing facilities, alongside projects such as Moho Nord. CONTRACT OF THE YEAR In May 2014, shipping agency Necotrans was awarded operatorship of the river port in Brazzaville, signalling a milestone in the development of the capital city as a major transshipment point for the region. The port project will require nearly $20 million in investment and is planned for completion in 2015. Not only does this expansion assist Brazzaville in becoming a primary hub in a transport corridor to the Central Africa region, but it will also support those operating domestic exploration programmes in the country’s vast and undeveloped hinterland. The Who’s Who of the Global Energy Industry THE OIL & GAS YEAR | CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE 2014 THE YEAR’S AWARDS – CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE 2014 13 ONSHORE PROJECT OF THE YEAR
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