Nigerien Hydrocarbon Reserves



=Oil and Gas=

Reserves
Niger has three distinct areas of oil and gas reserves:


 * 1) The Agadem Oilfield is currently the country's sole producing block. It covers the the southern half of the Termit-Ténéré Rift. The Niger government estimates the proven oil reserves in Agadem Block at 324 million barrels. The Agadem Block lies in the eastern Diffa region bordering Chad. In 2008 CNPC signed an agreement with the Niger state to invest US$ 5 billion with the drilling of a minimum of 18 exploration wells before 2016. . In July 2011 Niger's government reported that as exploration continues on the Agadem Block, oil reserves could prove to be three times higher than the previous estimates of 324 million barrels. Oil production on the Agadem Block began on 28 November 2011.
 * 2) The Ténéré Block covers an area of 71,155 square kilometres in eastern Niger. This area comprises part of the Termit-Ténéré Rift Basin, which is one of a series of rift basins that extend across north-central Africa with similar oil-producing basins found in Libya, Chad and Sudan. While exploration licences have been granted on the Ténéré Block, as of early 2012 no production was taking place.
 * 3) The Kafra Block is a continuation of the rift basin system seen in the Ténéré Block. It is situated in northern Niger, running from the northern perimeter of the Ténéré Block up to the Algerian border. The Kafra Block covers an area of 23,737 square kilometers and adjoins the Tafassasset Block in Algeria.

Production
The Agadem Block came onstream in November 2011 with production estimated to rise to 20,000 barrels per day (bpd) or 7.3 million barrels per year in 2012. Cri de Cigogne, a Nigerien think-tank, estimates that this production will be refined into 2.39 million barrels of petrol per year, 3.69 barrels of diesel and 44,200 tonnes per year of liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). . As of March 2012, there were no reports of production on the Ténéré Block.

=Coal=

Niger's most significant coal reserve is found at Anou-Araren, situated in the Air Massif in northern Niger, with proven reserves estimated at six million tonnes. As of 2012, these reserves were being extracted by Société Nigérienne de Charbon d'Anou Araren (SONICHAR). This deposit produces electricity for the northern Agadez region, including the uranium mines. The US Geological Survey estimated that coal production in Niger reached 225,000 tonnes in 2010.

=References=