Paris. Total announces the signature of an agreement to acquire Chevron's 45.9% interest in Block 1 in the Joint Development Zone (JDZ). Total will operate the block in partnership with Addax Petroleum JDZ 1 Limited, Dangote Energy Equity Resources and Sasol Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited. The JDZ is governed by a treaty signed by Nigeria and Sao Tomé and Principe in 2001 for a period of 45 years. This transaction is subject to approval by relevant authorities.

Luanda. Total announces that its subsidiary, TEPA (Block 15/06), Limited, and its partners have made a new oil discovery in Block 15/06 with the well Cabaça SE-1, in the Angolan deep-offshore.

The well, located in 470 metres of water depth and 100 kilometres from the Angolan shore line, encountered significant gross thickness oil bearing reservoirs in the Miocene series. Volumes estimates suggest that Cabaça SE could hold substantial volumes of oil in place, with a potential yet to be confirmed.

Luanda. Eni and Sonangol announced a new major oil discovery in Block 15/06, located offshore Angola. The Cabaca South East-1 well, located at a depth of 470 meters, at a distance of 100 km from the coast, successfully reached its multi-target objective in the deepest levels of Miocene age, where oil bearing reservoirs, with a total of 450 meters of gross thickness, have been proven.

Jerusalem. While offshore natural gas discoveries have spurred Lebanese and Israeli saber-rattling in a region widely viewed as rich in energy resources, a London analyst said it is too early to make categorical claims about the size and ownership of the potential reservoirs. 

Abuja. The Nigerian government must take a cue from the U.S. response in the Gulf of Mexico and file criminal charges against oil companies, advocates said.Environmental group Oilwatch Africa complained that an Exxon Mobil pipeline ruptured more than three weeks ago and remains unchecked. The spill from the pipeline has spread to the surrounding communities and follows a 100,000-barrel spill from the same facility two weeks ago in southern Nigeria.

Accra. Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) said on Monday it had rejected a request by privately held Kosmos Energy to sell its stake in the Jubilee oilfield to ExxonMobil.

"They wrote to formally seek our consent for a Sale and Purchase Agreement they had struck with Exxon, and we have declined," Kwame Ntow Amoah, GNPC's head of Economic Evaluation and Monitoring, told Reuters of a Kosmos letter received June 29.

Houston. ERHC Energy Inc. (OTCBB: ERHE), a publicly traded American company with oil and gas assets in the highly prospective Gulf of Guinea off the coast of West Africa, today issued the following update on Company activities from Peter Ntephe, chief executive officer.

Abuja. Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) said on Wednesday it had started production at its Gbaran-Ubie integrated oil and gas facility in Nigeria's Niger Delta and that the plant would be fully onstream next year.