Page 12 - AfrOil Week 06 2021

AfrOil POLICY AfrOil

ANPG is now looking to proceed with sec- investors. Botswana, Namibia and Zambia have
ond-stage work, which will include environ- followed a similar path, which allowed them to
mental impact, repopulation, restoration and auction off resource rights without disregarding
accessibility studies, it said. environmental risks, ANPG said. ™
The accessibility studies will be a crucial
component of this phase, the agency noted. They
will allow companies involved in the exploration
work to map out the basins by carrying out topo-
graphical surveys and acquiring satellite images.
They will also see teams sent to the field to collect
crude oil and natural gas samples from the sur-
face at sites identified by local residents, as well
as rock samples that will be sent to a laboratory
for analysis. The results of these efforts will be
integrated with the maps generated during the
first phase of exploration work.
According to ANPG, the studies will cover
protected areas, but exploration will not begin
until the relevant government agencies and
offices give the go-ahead. Instead, the winners
of the tender will be expected to start work by
focusing on the other 80% of the land.
Meanwhile, the protected land will be subject
to an environmental pre-feasibility study carried
out by an independent entity in co-ordination
with representatives of the Angolan govern-
ment. The results of this study will determine
whether protected areas are included on the
list of future licence areas that will be offered to Exploration of the onshore basins began in 2010 (Image: Sonangol)

PROJECTS & COMPANIES
Egypt moving swiftly with plans to expand

CNG filling station network

EGYPT EGYPT is moving swiftly to establish an exten- for testing cylinders nationwide.
sive nationwide network of condensed natural Egypt’s latest nationwide CNG conversion
gas (CNG) filling stations for vehicles in line programme targets the conversion of 1.8mn
with the government’s programme to convert vehicles, some of which are over 20 years old,
gasoline-powered vehicles to dual-fuel engines have already become obsolete and will be con-
running on gasoline and CNG. demned Their owners will receive loans at
According to Petroleum Minister Tarek El 3% interest rate to purchase dual-fuel engine
Molla, the government is currently working on vehicles. The total programme cost has been
plans to add another 368 CNG filling stations to estimated at EGP320bn ($20bn), Minister of
supplement the existing 225 already in service Industry Nevine Gamea has sa`id. ™
in Egypt. Work will start on a further 170 filling
stations between mid-March and mid-April to
achieve the presidential initiative of establishing
1,000 natural gas filling stations, he said.
Egypt’s presidency adopted an ambitious
programme last July, saying it hoped to con-
vert 400,000 vehicles to operate on CNG within
three years through an incentive programme for
car owners financed through soft bank loans.
Over the past 25 years, Egypt has built up
the basic infrastructure needed to convert pas-
senger cars to CNG. There are already 80 CNG
conversion centres in the country and 12 centres Egypt is already home to 80 CNG conversion centres (Photo: NGVC-EG.com)

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