LNG

Morocco is moving ahead with plans for a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) and several more FSRUs in the future as part of an expansion in natural gas imports amid hopes of more production of gas from discoveries onshore and offshore the North African kingdom.

Morocco has signed a liquefied natural gas supply agreement with Shell for a period pf 12 years that will initially see volumes shipped as cargoes to Spain and onwards as pipeline gas across the Mediterranean to Moroccan gas-fired power plants.

March 24 (LNGJ) - Sound Energy, the UK company with natural gas assets in Morocco and a micro-LNG production project, reported progress on several fronts, including sales, finance and engineering. Sound Energy executed an $18.0 million loan facility from Afriquia Gaz, the Morocco-based company which has also signed a 10-year, take-or-pay LNG sale and purchase and taken a stake in Sound Energy.

   The London-listed company is planning to develop a micro-LNG plant for the Tendrara 5-Horst gas well in its Tendrara production concession in eastern Morocco, near the Algerian border. The company also extended its Moroccan Anoual exploration permit duration from eight to nine years. “During 2022, we will continue to work tirelessly to deliver additional value for our shareholders through meaningful progression on both the Phase 1 of the micro-LNG project and the Phase 2 of the gas pipeline development to deliver increased future company growth,” said Graham Lyon, Executive Chairman.

Sonatrach, the Algerian state energy company and LNG exporter, said it was putting into service on January 4 the compression system booster of the Medgaz natural gas pipeline from Algeria to Spain and Portugal.

The kingdom of Morocco said it was considering setting up a fast-track floating LNG import terminal near the port of Tangier after Algeria carried out a threat to cut pipeline natural gas supplies to its North African neighbour, closing one of two trans-Mediterranean pipelines serving Spain.

Qatar Petroleum, the leading liquefied natural gas producer, has signed an agreement to acquire a stake in 12 exploration blocks offshore Morocco as the Gulf nation continues to increase its international exploration and production activities.

June 18 (LNG) - SDX Energy Inc., the UK-based exploration company, has made another natural gas discovery in Egypt at its South Disouq concession. The well was drilled to a total depth of 7,806 feet and encountered 89 feet of net conventional natural gas pay. SDX also completed a test programme at its LMS-1 well in the Lalla Mimouna Nord permit in Morocco. Egypt is seeking to end LNG imports amid abundant domestic gas supply while Morocco has one LNG import project in development. “Overall we are very pleased with our recent drilling activity. In Morocco we had seven successful results from our nine well program and in Egypt we have had three successes out of the four wells drilled,” said SDX Chief Executive Paul Welch. “I am looking forward to updating our shareholders on the well test results and progress we are making on our development activity,” he added.

Jan 24 (LNGJ) - SDX Energy Inc., the oil and gas company focused on North Africa and whose shares are listed in London and Toronto, said it made another natural gas discovery at its Onz-7 development well on the Sebou permit in Morocco. The latest Moroccan gas find is relatively small in scale and the country is still planning to import LNG to supplement its growing energy needs. The Onz-7 well was drilled to a total depth of 1,167 metres with 5 metres of net conventional natural gas pay. “The well came in on prognosis but reservoir quality exceeded initial expectations,” said SDX. The well will now be completed, tested and connected to existing infrastructure. “We are very excited to be able to announce another discovery, the fourth from five wells drilled to date in our nine well Moroccan campaign,” said Paul Welch, Chief Executive of SDX.

SDX Energy Inc., the UK-listed oil and gas company, has made its third successive onshore natural gas discovery in Morocco as the North African country pursues an LNG import project to improve gas availability for industry and power.

Nov 21 (LNGJ) - SDX Energy, the exploration and production company listed in London and Toronto and with recent drilling successes in Morocco, a potential LNG importer, posted third-quarter revenue of $10 million compared with $2.1M in the same three months of 2016. Nine-month revenue was $28.2m versus $7.6M in 2016. “This has been one of the company’s strongest quarters yet,” said SDX Chief Executive Paul Welch. “We announced a successful $10 million fundraise during the period, which allows us to accelerate our drilling programmes in Egypt and Morocco. We have made an excellent start to the Morocco drilling campaign, announcing two discoveries from the first two wells,” added the CEO.