DHL energy joins Oil & Gas rush for Africa

OIL and gas discoveries in African countries such as Mozambique, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya have put the continent on the radar of leading international companies.

But it is not only the typical multinationals that have Africa in their sights.

A case in point is DHL — a company known for its courier and express services — which, through its energy business, is pursuing opportunities in Africa’s oil and gas sector.

Africa is becoming a lucrative destination for oil and gas companies as the search for resources intensifies. Of particular interest to SA is the emergence of neighbouring Mozambique as a frontier for gas exploration and development. Just last week, the Italian energy firm Eni announced a gas discovery of up to 10-trillion cubic feet off Mozambique’s coast.

"This discovery is particularly significant since it confirms a new exploration play, which is independent of those drilled so far in previous Mamba wells," Eni said. It plans to drill at least another five wells to establish the potential of Area 4, in the Rovuma basin of Mozambique.

Steve Harley, global president of DHL Energy, says more than 50% of DHL’s growth in energy comes from developing and emerging markets. He says SA is one of the company’s hubs in Africa. Ghana and Nigeria are its hub in West Africa, while Kenya and Tanzania make up the East African hub, he says.

DHL’s customers include oil companies, drilling companies, electricity utilities and renewable energy businesses.

DHL Energy operates in the traditional areas of Nigeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Cameroon and is being established in Tanzania, Mozambique, Uganda and Kenya.

Commenting on the recent discoveries in Mozambique, Mr Harley said it was a big opportunity for the business, across all its divisions.

Notwithstanding the infrastructure limitations, Africa attracts the leading oil and gas operators, such as London-based Tullow Oil, Anadarko Petroleum of Texas, New York-listed Apache, the multinational Total Exploration and Production and the London-listed Ophir Energy.

GE Energy, a supplier of power generation technology, is also keeping an eye on the developments in southern Africa, including gas finds in Mozambique, CEO Jay Wileman said.

SISEKO NJOBENI
21-May-2012