Energy

The start of production at a concession in Egypt’s Nile Delta basin by a German firm has come as welcome news, an indication of the sizable potential offered by the country’s offshore blocks. With local consumption growing, the North African state is looking to balance the need to expand output to meet domestic gas demand while at the same time fulfilling its long-term external commitments.

Contrairement à l'Algérie voisine, dont l'économie repose depuis longtemps sur les vastes réserves d'hydrocarbures, le Maroc reste fortement tributaire de ses importations de brut et de gaz pour stimuler la croissance. Pourtant, les investisseurs manifestent un intérêt accru pour les réserves d'hydrocarbures offshore du royaume, largement inexplorées, attirés par différents facteurs.

Kenya’s run of geologic luck continues, following the announcement of the country’s fourth consecutive discovery of oil by the UK's Tullow Oil and Canada's Africa Oil. Similarly, while activity in the natural gas sector is proceeding at a slower pace, following the recent departure of one explorer, the outlook for new finds is promising.

While abroad Brunei Darussalam might be best known for its substantial hydrocarbons reserves, at home authorities are turning their attention to more “green” forms of energy, including solar. However, compared to some of its South-east Asian neighbours, the Sultanate has set more modest goals and has been slower to develop alternatives to oil and gas.

Investment in Ghana’s hydrocarbons sector has boomed over the past six years, with capital inflows helping stoke headline growth in the double digits. The performance of oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) activity has been robust, but passage of new legislation to regulate the E&P segment is likely to provide an additional boost to the industry and create a clearer and more sustainable environment for upstream producers.

With oil and gas imports weighing on its trade balance, Indonesia is taking steps to reduce domestic demand for fuel and boost local refinery capacity. These moves come as the International Energy Agency (IEA) has released a report projecting that energy demand in the South-east Asian country is set to nearly double over the next two decades.