Your account has been succesfully created.

EN FR

Scroll through edition

The Morning Brief
Log in

Password

Keep me logged in

Forgot your password?
Subscribe

Africa, France
TOTALFINELF A MARKET GIANT?

If Total Fina succeeds in its takeover bid for Elf the impact on the gas market could be extremely significant. [...]

Published on 14/07/1999 at 10:00 GMT Reading time 3 minutes

This article may be accessed by subscribers

In order to ensure high-quality and independent journalism, Africa Intelligence relies solely on subscriptions from its readers, with no advertising, no events and no consulting work.

Several offers are available depending on your particular reading needs

Consult our offers

Do you want a free trial before subscribing?

Create your free account

Discover our work by making use of the following possibilities: daily newsletters, a selection of free articles, keyword alerts.

Do you want a free trial before subscribing?

create a free account

Energy

Read also

Morocco
LPG, SOUNDING OUT MARKET

A Moroccan source has depicted Rubis' plan to build an imports terminal with a capacity of 40,000 tons per year [...]

Subscribers only Energy 21.12.1999

Congo
HALFWAY MOVE FOR HYDRO CONGO

Companies slated for privatization in Congo are going to change their management before the sell-off, including Hydro Congo. The latter [...]

Subscribers only Energy 08.12.1999

Angola
GLOBAL WITNESS, PART II

Less than a year after it published its report "A Rough Trade" on the diamonds that fuelled UNITA's military ventures, [...]

Subscribers only Energy 08.12.1999

Angola
WOOD MACKENZIE LOWERS ITS PROJECTION

In its latest update on E&P in Angola, Wood Mackenzie [...]

Subscribers only Energy 08.12.1999

Angola
PRIDE ANGOLA TO DRILL ONE WELL FOR BP AMOCO

BP Amoco is to take advantage of a slot with [...]

Subscribers only Energy 08.12.1999

Africa
THE EXECUTIVE LINE-UP AT TOTALFINA-ELF

On Dec. 1 Total Fina published a list of 50 [...]

Subscribers only Energy 08.12.1999

Spotlight | Chad, Libya
KHADAFI COMES TO RESCUE CHAD'S OIL

Colonel Muammer Kadhafi declared during a press conference on Nov. 30 that he intended to help Chad "replace Western oil companies" that pull out of the Doba oil fields project (AEM 264). He didn't dare add, however, that he was [.

Subscribers only Energy 08.12.1999

Angola
HITCHES WITH NEWBUILD

Elf Exploration Angola's eighth find on block 17 after that of Cravo in early September is going to have to [...]

Subscribers only Energy 24.11.1999

Cameroon, Chad
DOBA VICTIM OF GLOBALIZATION

The Chad government signed a preliminary accord with Vivendi to take over management of the Societe Tchadienne d'Electricitre et d'Eau [...]

Subscribers only Energy 24.11.1999

Congo
ELF MAY HAVE FOUND RIG FOR ULTRA DEEP

AEM has learned that Elf is negotiating with Shell to [...]

Subscribers only Energy 24.11.1999

Spotlight | Africa
TOTALFINA-ELF, RESOLVED BUT SELECTIVE

A decision like the withdrawal – complete or partial – of Elf and Shell from the Chad oil project is automatically economic in nature. That, at any rate, was how the head of TotalFina Exploration-Production Christophe de Margerie portrayed the [.

Subscribers only Energy 24.11.1999

Nigeria
EA PROJECT IN STARTING BLOCKS

In late October Shell's board gave a go-ahead to the EA project that will involve a first venture in "alternative" [...]

Subscribers only Energy 10.11.1999

Angola
SEDCO EXPRESS TO BE DELIVERED IN JANUARY

The DCN shipyard in Brest, France expects to deliver the [...]

Subscribers only Energy 10.11.1999

Angola
7TH DISCOVERY ON BLOCK 17 CONFIRMED

A seventh discovery in block 17 where Elf operates was [...]

Subscribers only Energy 27.10.1999

Congo
UP TO THREE WELLS IN ADDITION TO THE ONE ON MPS

Elf indeed issued a tender – closed on Oct. 12 [...]

Subscribers only Energy 27.10.1999

Spotlight | Ivory Coast
NEWCOMER EDGES INTO OIL PICTURE

Bids for the privatization of Societe Ivoirienne de Raffinage (SIR) are now set to close on Nov. 7. This follows changes in TotalFina's approach to the sell-off that prompted it to re-shape its bid by bringing Shell aboard in addition [.

Subscribers only Energy 27.10.1999

Madagascar
TOTAL MADAGASIKARA AVIATION IS BACK

The company born of TotalFina's takeover of jet aviation fuel [...]

Subscribers only 16.10.1999

Angola, Congo
CLOSER LOOK AT CONGO BASIN

Elf Exploration-Production is examining the first results from a series of surveys conducted by the French marine research institute Infremer [...]

Subscribers only Energy 13.10.1999

Gabon
POSSIBLE MOVES LOOMING FOR ELF GABON, ENERGY AFRICA AND AMERADA

Before planned talks with TotalFina on Elf Gabon's future, president [...]

Subscribers only Energy 13.10.1999

Congo
KOMBI-LIKALALA IN PRODUCTION

Elf Congo has just put its latest development among small fields in the former Pointe Noire Grands Fonds permit, Kombi [...]

Subscribers only Energy 29.09.1999

Ivory Coast
SIR SELL-OFF POSTPONED

The Sept. 13 announcement that Elf and Total were to merge has had its first visible impact in Africa with [...]

Subscribers only Energy 29.09.1999

Angola
PRIDE AFRICA TO START WITH APPRAISAL WELL

The new deepwater drillship Pride Africa, which arrived in Angola [...]

Subscribers only Energy 29.09.1999

Gabon
ELF'S EVER-FASTER OUTPUT DROP

The pace of Elf Gabon's drop in production, which saw output fall from 53 million barrels in 1997 to 48 [...]

Subscribers only Energy 15.09.1999

Africa
TOTALFINA-ELF, ENI LEAVES OPTIONS OPENED

The Sept. 13 announcement that Total/Fina and Elf had agreed to a now-friendly merger pushed aside rumors that ENI might [...]

Subscribers only Energy 15.09.1999

Congo
DEEPWATER FRONTIER FOR ULTRA-DEEP ELF WELL?

The drillship Deepwater Frontier may be emerging as the leading [...]

Subscribers only Energy 15.09.1999

Angola
PRIDE AFRICA ON THE WAY

The 51-49% joint venture between Pride International and Sonangol that owns the drillship Pride Africa has taken delivery of the [...]

Subscribers only Energy 28.07.1999

Angola
ELF CONTRACT FOR SBM

Elf has ordered a CALM loading point anchoring system from [...]

Subscribers only Energy 28.07.1999

Libya
NIMR LINES UP ACTINIA

Nimr Petroleum is due to take the Actinia next month [...]

Subscribers only Energy 28.07.1999

Spotlight | Africa
SEDCO-TRANSOCEAN TIE-UP IN WAKE OF BP-AMOCO

A tie-up between Sedco-Forex and Transocean has come on the heels of a wave of mega oil mergers that began with BP Amoco and looks likely to end once the double takeover battle between Total Fina and Elf runs its [.

Subscribers only Energy 28.07.1999

Gabon
DEBUT FOR AUSTRALIAN

The government was negotiating with an Australian firm, Millenium Oil [...]

Subscribers only Energy 14.07.1999

Spotlight | Africa, France
TOTALFIN/ELF FALLOUT FOR AFRICA

A full week after Total Fina, which exists as such only since April 16, launched a 43 billion Euro takeover bid for Elf there is no solid indication of when Elf's board will meet to approve the "major project" that [.

Subscribers only Energy 14.07.1999

Africa
EXATRADE-JOVENNA ON THE MOVE

Exatrade is interested in extending its activities to the mining sector, concedes the South African trading company. But in fact [...]

Subscribers only Energy 30.06.1999

Nigeria
STILL NO GREEEN LIGHT FOR AMENAM-KPONO

An official green light from the Nigerian authorities for the [...]

Subscribers only Energy 30.06.1999

Congo
DROP IN INVESTMENT CONTAINED?

Semi-official sources in Brazzaville believe that investment in Congo in general and in the oil industry in particularly won't be [...]

Subscribers only Energy 16.06.1999

Angola
ELF OFFERS SLOTS WITH SEMI SUBS

AEM has learned from oil services circles that Elf is [...]

Subscribers only Energy 16.06.1999

Libya
ELF Z4 PLAN NEARLY READY

Elf is understood to be considering a development of a field in its C-137 block in Libya which would entail [...]

Subscribers only Energy 19.05.1999

Angola
ELF'S 5TH FIND IN BLOCK 17

Elf Exploration Angola has just recorded a fifth oil discovery in block 17. Named Tulipa it comes after Girassol in [...]

Subscribers only Energy 19.05.1999

Cameroon
WORKOVERS FOR ELF AND DEVELOPMENT IN SIGHT

Elf has fixed the Sedco Forex jack-up Trident VIII for [...]

Subscribers only Energy 19.05.1999

Congo
BRAZZAVILLE SEEKS GAS PARTNERS

The Congo's hydrocarbons ministry has joined with the energy and hydraulics department in seeking private partners willing to conduct a [...]

Subscribers only Energy 05.05.1999

Angola
FINAL ULTRA DEEP AWARDS SOON

Already postponed several times, the final distribution of stakes on the first blocks in Angola's ultra deep offshore - 31, [...]

Subscribers only Energy 05.05.1999

Nigeria
INVITATION TO TENDER FOR DRILLING ON AMENAM-KPONO

As expected, Elf has invited bids for provision of two [...]

Subscribers only Energy 05.05.1999

Nigeria
EARLY 2001 DRILLING FOR AMENAM

Elf is expected in late April to issue invitations to tender for two jack-ups that it needs to drill development [...]

Subscribers only Energy 14.04.1999

Africa
SHELL QUITS THREE COUNTRIES

The sale of Royal Dutch-Shell's exploration and production assets in Namibia, Congo Brazzaville and Ivory Coast came as a bolt [...]

Subscribers only Energy 14.04.1999

Congo
SEDNETH 701 ON KOMBI-LIKALALA

Elf Congo is going to retain the services of the [...]

Subscribers only Energy 14.04.1999

Cameroon
ELF SEEKS RIG FOR WORKOVER

Elf has issued a tender invitation for a jack-up rig [...]

Subscribers only Energy 31.03.1999

Nigeria
ACCORD ON 3RD NLNG TRAIN

Nigeria LNG has awarded a consortium made up of Technip, Snamprogetti, Kellog Brown & Root and Japan Gasoline Corporation the [...]

Subscribers only Energy 17.03.1999

Congo
ELF RELEASES GLOMAR ADRIATIC V

As AEM reported it would do (AEM 246), Elf Congo [...]

Subscribers only Energy 17.03.1999

Madagascar
TECHNICAL OFFER FOR SOLIMA

Of the 96 specifications sold for the Call for bids [...]

Subscribers only 06.03.1999

Angola
GIRASSOL PUT BACK A FEW MONTHS

Although the end of the year 2000 still officially remained [...]

Subscribers only Energy 03.03.1999

Africa, France
TWO THIRDS OF ELF OUTPUT FROM AFRICA

Africa's share in Elf Aquitaine's net output of crude rose [...]

Subscribers only Energy 03.03.1999

France, Gabon
ELF GABON'S INVESTMENTS FALL FOR SIXTH YEAR RUNNING

Elf Gabon cut back on investment in exploration for the [...]

Subscribers only Energy 03.03.1999

Angola
FEED CONTRACT FOR ALIA

An affiliate of the ABB group, ABB Lummus, has won the front end, engineering and design contract for the development [...]

Subscribers only Energy 17.02.1999

Nigeria
SHELL UNVEILS $8.5 BN PROJECTS

Shell wants to press ahead with new gas and oil developments involving $8.5 billion in investments despite the fact that [...]

Subscribers only Energy 17.02.1999

Congo
ELF DROPS SEDCO 700

Elf has negotiated the early termination of its contract with [...]

Subscribers only Energy 17.02.1999

Nigeria
CANOXY-ELF BUY-IN CONFIRMED

The Nigerian government has approved Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd.'s acquisition of a 20% interest in Elf Petroleum Nigeria Ltd's offshore [...]

Subscribers only Energy 03.02.1999

Angola
GIRASSOL TO START IN LATE 2000

The Girassol field in Angola will indeed come on stream at the end of 2000 as initially planned, Elf chairman [...]

Subscribers only Energy 03.02.1999

Libya
FIND FOR REPSOL

Repsol, operator of the consortium that developed the Murzuk-El Sharara oil field - other members are Total and OMV - [...]

Subscribers only Energy 20.01.1999

Angola
PRIDE COMPLETES FUNDING

Pride International has concluded long-term financing agreements relating to the deepwater drillship Pride Angola (previously Pride Europe) that Hyundai Heavy [...]

Subscribers only Energy 20.01.1999

Congo
BOOST FOR PNGF PROJECT

Elf Congo has extended its program involving the series of small fields in the former Pointe Noire Grands Fonds (PNGF) [...]

Subscribers only Energy 20.01.1999

Nigeria
SECOND FIND IN DEEP OFFSHORE

Texaco has announced a major wildcat discovery, the second to be made in the deep Nigerian offshore on licenses granted [...]

Subscribers only Energy 20.01.1999

Cameroon
ELF LIKELY TO DRILL TWO WELLS LATE THIS YEAR

Elf is provisionally planning to drill two wells in offshore [...]

Subscribers only Energy 20.01.1999

Angola
BLOCK O TO PROVIDE 600,000 BPD

Initial development of the Kuito field on Angola's block 14 is going to be put back relative to earlier indications [...]

Subscribers only Energy 06.01.1999

Nigeria
KICKOFF FOR AMENAM & BONGA

The Nigerian government has approved a decision in August, 1997 that resulted in the choice of Elf Petroleum Nigeria as [...]

Subscribers only Energy 06.01.1999

Nigeria
FIND FOR ELF IN DEEP OFFSHORE

Elf Petroleum has made an appearently substantial discovery in Nigeria's deep offshore. The French group remained silent about results of [...]

Subscribers only Energy 06.01.1999

Angola
DALIA PRE-SELECTION IN MID-99

The main bidding for pre-selection for the main development contracts on Dalia, the second of four discoveries on Angola's block [...]

Subscribers only Energy 16.12.1998

Congo
ELF NEEDS RIG TO DRILL IN 1,800 METERS

Elf is planning an exploration well offshore Congo in the [...]

Subscribers only Energy 16.12.1998

Nigeria
ELF TO USE TWO JACK-UPS ON AMENAM

Elf is reviewing responses to a recent market check into [...]

Subscribers only Energy 02.12.1998

Spotlight
SIZING UP MEGA MERGER IMPACT ON AFRICA

Africa certainly hasn't been a decisive factor in the flurry of mega-mergers in the oil industry which are being spurred instead by the need to cut costs in the face of plunging oil prices – in real terms these are [.

Subscribers only Energy 02.12.1998

Madagascar
INDEMNIFICATION OF TOTAL

The agreement covering the Malagasy authorities' compensation of French oil major Total whose assets in petroleum distribution on Madagascar had [...]

Subscribers only 07.11.1998

Morocco
FOUR WAY TIE-UP FOR LPG LOGISTIC COMPANY

On October 26 the Societe Cherifienne des Petroles (SCP), Tissir-Primagaz, [...]

Subscribers only Energy 04.11.1998

Madagascar
PRIVATIZATION LOOMS FOR SOLIMA

Ten companies will submit bids when an invitation to tender is issued next week for the privatization of the state-owned [...]

Subscribers only Energy 21.10.1998

Angola
NEW FINDS ON BLOCKS 14-15

Within a week of one other Chevron and Exxon each announced new discoveries on blocks 14 and 15 where they [...]

Subscribers only Energy 21.10.1998

Gabon
EA AND GENTRY AWAIT BETTER DAYS TO DRILL ON OFOUBOU

Gentry Petroleum indicated that several "significant leads" had been identified [...]

Subscribers only Energy 07.10.1998

Nigeria
SCARABEO 4 ENDS DRILLING FOR ELF

Elf has released the semi-submersible Scarabeo 4 after a seven-month [...]

Subscribers only Energy 07.10.1998

Egypt
ELF AND AMOCO WIN DEEPWATER BLOCK

After largely pulling out of Egypt, Elf Aquitaine has made [...]

Subscribers only Energy 23.09.1998

Spotlight | Africa, France
OIL AND GAS, THE SEMINAR GLUT

The organizers of seminars and conferences seem in no way discouraged by sagging markets for raw materials and particularly for oil even though the price of crude doesn't look set to break out of the $12-14 range for a long [.

Subscribers only Energy 23.09.1998

Angola
FOURTH DISCOVERY ON BLOCK 17

On Sept. 3 Elf announced its fourth discovery on block 17 in the deep Angolan offshore, Lirio. It follows Girassol [...]

Subscribers only Energy 09.09.1998

Angola
THIRD SUPPLY BOAT ORDERED FOR GIRASSOL

The Marseilles-based offshore services company SURF will provide a third [...]

Subscribers only Energy 09.09.1998

Ghana
SCARABEO COULD DRILL IN GHANA OFFSHORE

Elf will release the semi-submersible Scarabeo 4 at the end [...]

Subscribers only Energy 09.09.1998

Sao Tome and Principe
MOBIL GET A HEAD START

Mobil has won a serious option on all 22 blocks in the deep offshore that Sao Tome & Principe is [...]

Subscribers only Energy 26.08.1998

Cameroon
HIGH ISLAND VII TO DRILL FOR ELF

Pecten has extended its contract in Cameroon with the jack-up [...]

Subscribers only Energy 26.08.1998

Cameroon
BIG IFC SYNDICATED LOAN FOR PECTEN'S PROJECTS

The World Bank affiliate International Finance Corp. has organized a [...]

Subscribers only Energy 22.07.1998

Nigeria
MOBIL SUBLETS SEMI-SUB FOR DEEP OFFSHORE

After changing its mind about offering slots for rigs at [...]

Subscribers only Energy 22.07.1998

Spotlight | Angola
"WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS"

With conflict widening in Angola's north-east, where the government claims that UNITA has fielded 30,000 troops, Angola has played a finer match in the oil tournament than the Brazilian soccer team did in the World Cup final against France.

Subscribers only Energy 22.07.1998

Angola
GIRASOL GROUP FINALIZES PLANS

The Girasol team is finally in place. Not in Professor Tournesol's den at the Belgian comic strip character Tintin's place [...]

Subscribers only Energy 08.07.1998

Congo
BUY-INS AND CHANGES

The following changes have been approved: Elf has acquired a [...]

Subscribers only Energy 08.07.1998

Chad
GREENS FRET OVER PIPELINE PLAN

A "summit of the seven poorest countries" organized by the Greens on June 12 in the European Parliament's building in [...]

Subscribers only Energy 24.06.1998

Congo
CONTRACTS ON KOMBI-LIKALALA

Elf Congo has just signed new integrated development drilling contracts with Horwell and Sedco Forex for the Kombi-Likalala project. Work [...]

Subscribers only Energy 24.06.1998

Libya, Tunisia
ELF AND NIMR SHARE RIG

The semi-submersible Actinia will begin mobilizing from a yard in Singapore to the Mediterranean at the end of the month [...]

Subscribers only Energy 24.06.1998

Gabon
NO EXPLORATION WELLS FOR ELF

Elf Gabon has acquired 11,000 km of seismic data out of the 13,000 km available for the eighth bidding round [...]

Subscribers only Energy 10.06.1998

Chad
ELF OIL HANDS USA BRIDGE LOGISTIC CONTRACT

Elf Oil Tchad has signed a three year logistic contract [...]

Subscribers only Energy 10.06.1998

West Africa
ELF EP TO BOOST RESERVOIR MANAGEMENT CAPACITY

Elf Exploration Production has signed an agreement with GeoQuest, an [...]

Subscribers only Energy 10.06.1998

Congo
ELF PRESSES AHEAD WITH PROGRAM

Glomar Adriatic V's contract to drill a well for Vaalco is the main reason for its remaining in Gabon. There [...]

Subscribers only Energy 27.05.1998

Angola
OPERATORS READY TO SIGN

The government is shortly to sign contracts with the operators chosen for blocks 23, 24 and 25 in the middle [...]

Subscribers only Energy 13.05.1998

Gabon
RABI KUNGA PRODUCING TOO FAST?

"Rabi very quickly broke production records but its output will [...]

Subscribers only Energy 13.05.1998

Angola
SECOND DISCOVERY FOR EXXON

Exxon and Sonangol have confirmed that Esso Exploration Angola's first two wells on block 15 have struck oil, and not [...]

Subscribers only Energy 08.04.1998

On our other sites

NEW TWISTS TO TAIWAN FRIGATE SCANDAL

The scandal involving payments of commissions by Thomson-CSF for the sale of anti-aircraft frigates to Taiwan has taken a fresh [...]

Subscribers only Intelligence Online 18.11.1999

THE GERMAN ANGLE TO ELF AFFAIR

Intelligence Newsletter has learned that the Swiss legal authorities are poised this week to issue an international arrest warrant for [...]

Subscribers only Intelligence Online 09.09.1999

DIETER HOLZER

Dieter Holzer is a powerful and secretive businessman who probably holds some of the secrets of the Elf scandal. Son [...]

Subscribers only Intelligence Online 10.06.1999

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM SIRVEN'S FRIENDS

According to the French police sources, former Elf managing director Alfred Sirven is thought to have been helped to drop [...]

Subscribers only Intelligence Online 13.05.1999

Sign up for real-time alerts and be notified of new editions!

Once registered, you will be notified by a short message on your computer or mobile phone as soon as a new edition of our publication or an alert is published. Stay informed anytime, anywhere!