SunPower Announces 160-Megawatt Solar Panel Manufacturing Facility in South Africa

 SAN JOSE, Calif. and CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Nov. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ: SPWR), a leading solar technology and energy services provider, today announced plans to own and operate a solar panel manufacturing facility in Cape Town, South Africa, to meet the growing demand for solar in that region.     At this new plant, SunPower will manufacture its high efficiency SunPower E20/440 Solar Panels and expects to produce up to 160-megawatts (MW).... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 4th November 2014

Egypt: No agreement reached for LNG arrivals by end of 2014

 The government has not reached a final agreement with any of the foreign companies on the importing of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for power plants over the next year. The delay will lead to the much needed LNG shipments not arriving in December as originally planned, despite current official claims. A Ministry of Petroleum official said an agreement previously signed with Russian company, Gazprom, and Algerian company, Sonatrach, supplying 14 gas shipments were non-binding.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 4th November 2014

Mozambique: Government Launches Tender for Provision of Areas for Exploration and Production of Oil

Maputo — On Oct. 23, the government of Mozambique launched a tender constituting the fifth concession of areas for exploration and production of oil in the marine part of the Rovuma Basin, Angoche, Delta of Zambézia, around the concession of Pande-Temane and Palmeira in the Mozambique Basin. The tender was launched in Maputo and London. A total of 15 blocks, totalling 76,800 square kilometres in area will be made available.   The closure of the fifth tender is.... Read more »

Posted on : Saturday , 1st November 2014

Vehicle assemblers hit record in August

August recorded the highest number of vehicles assembled locally in a single month for over more than five and a half years, signalling a growing appetite for new vehicles. Provisional data show 879 vehicles were assembled in the month, upholding a trend likely to see 2014 as the strongest year for new motor vehicle dealers. Industry players say demand is mainly being driven by counties buying fleets, school buses and focus on high capacity public service vehicles. The country has.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 31st October 2014

Tanzania: Crown Invests Sh321 Million in Dar es Salaam Plant

Crown Paints has invested $3.6 million (Sh321.59 million) in a new manufacturing plant in Dar es Salaam, it announced yesterday. The money will be released in bits over the next 18 months. This will be its third after Arusha and Mwanza where it already has a presence. "This is our second step into the Tanzanian paint industry, since we have already established a mini plant in Arusha and distribution depots in Arusha and Mwanza," chief executive Rakesh Rao said in a.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 31st October 2014

World s first subsea wet gas compressor station set for installation in 2015

 The world’s first subsea wet gas compressor station is now ready for the final testing at Horsøy before being prepared for installation and hook-up to Gullfaks C, an oil and gas field in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, in 2015 Statoil has announced.   The compressor is expected to help extend the field’s productive life by 22 million extra barrels of oil equivalent from the Gullfaks South Brent reservoir.   According to the project manager.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 31st October 2014

Kenya could beat Mozambique, Tanzania for Upstream Investment in East Africa – GlobalData Analyst

Kenya will need to focus on providing a competitive and stable fiscal environment if it is to fully exploit its offshore gas industry and attract investors ahead of Mozambique and Tanzania, says an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData. Reece Straker, GlobalData’s Upstream Oil & Gas Analyst, states that while Kenya is currently behind Tanzania and Mozambique in terms of discoveries, exploration interest has increased since Tullow’s first offshore.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 31st October 2014

Tembo 1 well drilling to continue through November

 Africa-focused oil & gas company Wentworth with exploration and drilling operations in the Rovuma Onshore Concession in northern Mozambique has announced that the Tembo-1 exploration well has reached a depth of approximately 2,965 meters in Cretaceous age rocks.   This is short of the programmed drilling to the Jurassic at a total depth of 4,397 meters or 4,250 meters True Vertical Depth Sub Sea and hence is expected to continue through the month of November with no.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 31st October 2014

Algeria: Sonatrach to Carry Out First Offshore Drilling End 2015

      Algiers — The national hydrocarbon group SONATRACH will carry out first offshore drilling by the end of 2015, announced Wednesday its interim CEO, Said Sahnoun, at the signing ceremony of contracts of the 4th invitations to tender for hydrocarbon explorations.   SONATRACH, which stepped up its exploration operations, "intends to drill its first offshore well by the end of 2015," said Sahnoun.   The oil group will carry out its.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 31st October 2014

Tanzania: SWALA Detects 'Signs' of Oil in Kilombero

        SWALA Energy has announced that its seismic survey being carried out in the Kilombero Basin has provided the first evidence of multiple structures - a "string of pearls"- along the western basin boundary.   "These early results of the Kilombero seismic survey are particularly exciting and the similarities with the Lokichar Basin are extremely encouraging given the enormous success that has been achieved there to date," said.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 31st October 2014

Merck KGaA : forms partnership with Kenya medical research institute

Merck, a leading company for innovative and top-quality high-tech products in the pharmaceutical, chemical and life-science sectors, announced on Thursday the signature of a memorandum of understanding with Kenya Medical Research Institution (KEMRI) for a scientific partnership. Merck said in a statement that the partnership aimed at contributing to Kenya's social and economic development would cover research and development projects, programs and activities.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 31st October 2014

IFC pledges US$600m for a East Africa regional oil pipeline

      The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a lending arm of the World Bank, has pledged US$ 600m to fund an oil pipeline in East Africa. The funding is part of a US$1.8bn loan for projects in the Horn of Africa.   The oil pipeline is expected to link up upstream operations in Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan. A statement by the bank indicates that the investments will aid expansion of agribusiness, processing and seeds.   The whole project has been.... Read more »

Posted on : Friday , 31st October 2014