14 May 2007
Luanda — Angolan Oil minister, Desidério Costa, Monday in Luanda, received the Sao Tome minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Manuel de Deus Lima, with whom he discussed the exchange of experience in the field of hydrocarbons between the two countries.
After the audience, Manuel de Deus Lima expressed the interest of his country to make of Angola its strategic partners in the formulation of strategies and policies in the oil field whose exploration will start in the coming years.
To him, Angola's experience is fundamental if the best benefits are to be obtained from accords to be singed in future with international investors, once his country is to start producing oil soon.
"Being Angola an oil producer for many years, it has a large experience and it is on it that we will count and work, in order for us to enter into this process with some know-how," he said.
The visiting minister added that Angola's experience will enable Sao Tome to hold advantageous negotiations with international investors.
Manuel de Deus Lima stated as well that in addition to exchanging experience, youths of his country are being training in Angola in the domain of oil, so they can secure crude production in Sao Tome afterwards.
Besides meeting with his local counterpart, the Sao Tomese minister held contacts with the chairman of the Angolan Oil Company (Sonangol) managing board, Manuel Vicente, with whom he discussed the drafting of a new plan to relaunch existing cooperation between the Angolan company and Petrogás.
According to Manuel Vicente, Sonangol, as a more developed company, is ready to extend all possible support to Petrogás, enabling it to become as well a renowned firm in the oil industry.
Cooperation between Sonangol and its Sao Tomese counterpart backdates to the independence of both countries in 1975. Sonangol has investments in Sao Tome and Principe, mainly in the area of distribution of fuel.
Manuel Vicente stated that with this new perspective of oil production in the twin-island country, Sonangol intends to expand the cooperation to the areas of oil research, production, trade, refinery and transportation.
Sonangol holds 40 percent of the shares of São Tomé and Príncipe's fuel distribution company.
São Tomé and Príncipe shares an exploration zone with Nigeria, where four blocks have already been awarded to international companies. Reserves of above 100 million barrels were discovered in Block I.
The Sao Tomese official is in Luanda since Friday last week to reinforce bilateral cooperation in the oil field.
On Tuesday, Manuel de Deus Lima will travel to the FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Offloading), before meeting on Wednesday with Angolan minister of Energy and Waters, Botelho de Vasconcelos, to discuss hydric resources matters. In the afternoon he will visit the Oil Operations Support Basis (Sonils).
On Thursday, the Sao Tomese minister will visit the Luanda refinery and Essa training centre, in Cacuaco, before returning to his country on Friday, May 18.
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