Our D6 carpenters are experienced Uran Build qualified artisans right on top of their profession. By using the best tradesmen in the sector our online reputation has actually been developed as the 'go to' company when top quality and service matters. Their craftsmanship can be seen in a few of city 's most exclusive addresses but prices are constantly customized to match the project whether it be floorings, staircases cabinets or total refurbishments. We could also supply a 'team' of multi knowledgeable tradesmen for huge projects with each member being a specialist within their very own trade.
Readily available 24 hrs our carpenters likewise supply emergency services for such points as doors, home windows, and theft or unexpected damage. Our tradesmen will certainly constantly make certain minimum disturbance and that they leave your premises clean and tidy following their visit.
carpenters construct, set up or fix structures that are made from timber, steel or timber replacements. They could construct the frame of your house, wall surfaces and roof; set up doors, home windows, floors, cabinets, ceiling ceramic tiles; set up scaffolding; complete other architectural work such as sub-floor framing; and could even fix damaged furnishings. Carpenters might be experts in a specific location of the trade, so be sure your picked expert has the ability to complete your particular job.
Layout/design: carpenters need to select the materials for the task and step and mark them to guarantee that they are the right measurements required.
Reducing and joining materials: Cutting might be performed with power or hand devices. The reducing phase additionally includes any type of shaping that needs to be done. Products are signed up with utilizing nails, glue, screws or bolts and leaders. Levels and other framework devices are utilized to ensure precision in joining.
Analysis: carpenters analyze and read blueprints and various other strategies to discover just what will be required for a task.
Adhere to structure guidelines: carpenters are needed to comply with local and national building codes and requirements when working with any kind of job.
Doors: carpenters install, repair service and change all sorts of doors from standard bedroom doors to complex ornate doors. If the old door structure is not ample, they can mount a completely new frame depending on your requirements. See carpenters – doors to learn more.
Windows: As well as doors, carpenters could set up brand-new home windows and fixing or change old home windows. They could additionally install home window devices such as hinges and openers. For more details see carpenters – windows.
Formwork: This is needed when concrete is layed on your property. A carpenter is the excellent specialist for making, building and taking down formwork and ensuring it is durable and able to support the structure.
Handrails: These are essential to ensure staircases, porches, patio areas and decks are risk-free and secure. carpenters are experienced at the workplace with hardwood, so can construct a basic or luxuriant hand rails to match your home decoration and preferences. To find out more see carpenters – hand rails.
Building outdoor decking: A carpenter could design and develop an attractive deck, so you could enjoy your exterior area year-round. They could additionally install necessary accessories such as stairways, ramps and hand rails. See structure wood decking for even more.
Architraves: These are an attractive function in any type of house, as they go around windows or doors to hide voids in between the home window or door frame and the wall surface (see architraves). carpenters can help select the excellent architrave and the suitable type of fixing to match.
Home frames: As your house frame is the skeleton of the residence, it is necessary to ensure it is erected correctly. Carpenters could put up residence frameworks for new houses and expansions or enhancements, be it level roofing systems, saddleback roofs or various other sorts of residence frames. For even more informatoin see carpenters – home frames.
Ramps: carpenters are able to build any kind of type of ramp you require, including wheelchair and accessibility ramps, skate ramps, watercraft ramps and so on. They can likewise help you acquire the needed authorizations for the ramp, and develop a ramp that is safe and suitable. See carpenters – ramps for more information.
Improvements: Whether you are undertaking little or big renovations in your home, carpenters can aid throughout the process. They could assist set up kitchen cabinets, add an expansion or deck, mount brand-new floors, wardrobes and so on. They could additionally assist you get planning consents and allows where called for and help with the style of your remodelling. To find out more see carpenters – restorations.
Skirtings: Skirtings are a decorative function that can aid round off the look of a room. Carpenters could install new skirtings or change old skirtings with ease making use of wood, MDF or plaster. See carpenters – skirting for even more alternatives.
carpenters will normally charge anywhere from EUR30 to EUR50 per hour, depending upon your area and their experience. This will include their time and you need to validate if products become part of any quote. Extra pricey wood woods, for example, will certainly bring a rate costs over soft lumbers such as want. carpenters can suggest you which sort of wood is best suited to your job. If you are constructing a huge structure such as a wood deck, any quote should consist of itemised work and products costings.
In some cities carpenters are needed to be certified to do function above a particular value. This is a legal demand and guarantees your task is done by a qualified tradesperson. There is even more information on licensing of carpenters on www.nationalguild.ie.
UrbanBuild is a D6 based carpentry, joinery & fitting firm with years of experience. Get your furniture solutions designed by reliable carpenters carpenters.


As I mentioned before, the bulk of the innovation in the iPad mini is around form factor - the hardware platform itself is mostly a reuse of previous designs to keep costs low. The mini retains the 32nm A5r2 SoC as the iPad 2,4 and 5th gen iPod Touch. Despite the smaller size, it also uses the same 1GHz CPU clocks as its bigger brother. Performance is thus identical to the iPad 2,4, and a bit faster than the iPhone 4S. I found that the increase in clock speed does help to mask the fact that this isn't a Swift based platform, although going between the iPad mini and 4 does reveal an appreciable performance difference.
SunSpider has been a part of all of our mobile performance testing for quite a while now. It's not the perfect benchmark, but the test ends up being a good measure of browser performance as well as cache latency and CPU performance.
The iPad mini's two Cortex A9 cores running at 1GHz give it performance that is pretty much identical to the iPad 2 and 3, which also feature the same CPU. In the grand scheme of things however, the mini's performance is decidedly last generation. That's not to say that it's bad, it's just that the Swift based architecture in the A6/A6X is significantly better.
Here the mini shows its age a bit, but mostly because of its conservative CPU clock speeds. Google's Nexus 10 is finally able to flex its muscle here and show just what the Cortex A15 is made of, even outperforming Intel's Atom in the RAZR i. Also note the performance increase compared to the iPhone 4S/iPod Touch, that's purely due to the clock speed advantage (1GHz vs 800MHz). I don't believe Apple picked the wrong clocks for the A5 in the mini as battery life remains a primary concern for this device.
Once again the mini equals the performance of the iPad 2 and 3, but remains appreciably slower than the iPad 4/iPhone 5. Google's Nexus 10 absolutely dominates in this test, continuing to outperform Intel's Atom based RAZR i.
I'd have to agree. While the mini is thinner and has perhaps somewhat better build quality compared to the nexus 7, when comparing them side to side, I'd have say my Nexus 7 was more comfortable to hold in one hand. Also it just happens to fit in my jacket pocket while the mini is too wide.
I think the backside material of the Nexus 7 is what makes it so comfortable to hold, next to the size. Unlike my iPad 2 it simply doesn't feel uncomfortable at any point. Can't get to cold or hot or be slippery.
The A format paperback is the kind you can shove in your back pocket. Easy to hold in one hand. The B is slightly bigger, and most people can hold it in one hand. The trade paperbacks are the bigger more expensive kind, more like a hardcover book but with a soft cover. Most people have to bend them to hold in one hand.
The Nexus 7's width falls between A and B paperbacks in width. The iPad Mini is trade paperback size in width, even with the reduced bezel. Personally I think Apple goofed here, picking a size larger than what the publishing industry settled on as ideal for one-handed carrying and reading after decades of product testing.
I'm pretty sure Apple chose to make the iPad Mini 7.9" instead of 7" because the 4:3 aspect ratio would've made movies on a 7" iPad smaller than on 7" 16:9 Android tablets. By making the iPad Mini 7.9" they make movies on it slightly bigger than on a 7" Android tablet. But the cost in one-handed holdability isn't worth it IMHO.
Actually, the iPad mini is almost exactly the same size and shape as the Amazon Kindle 2 (the old white keyboard one), differing only in slightly higher weight. The dimensions are so close that I have to believe that Apple was using the K2 as a reference for the mini.
Most K2 users agree that it is extremely easy and comfortable to hold one-handed for hours, and very easy to carry.


text:
Ebola: Profile of a dreaded killer
Paris (AFP) –
A factfile on the deadly Ebola virus, which has broken out in remote northwest Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and spread to a city, a development likely to complicate containment efforts.
- What it is -
Ebola -- formally known as Ebola virus disease, or EVD -- is severe and often lethal.
The average fatality rate is around 50 percent, varying from 25 percent to 90 percent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The latest outbreak, publicly declared on May 8, has seen 44 reported cases so far with 23 deaths, according to UN figures. Its epicentre is in the Bikoro area in remote Equateur province. On Thursday the WHO said a case had been recorded in Mbandaka, a city roughly 150 kilometres (90 miles) away.
- History -
Ebola was first identified in 1976 by a team that included a young Belgian microbiologist, Peter Piot, who later founded UNAIDS, the United Nations' spearhead agency against HIV/AIDS.
They named the virus after a river in the Democratic Republic of Congo -- then known as Zaire -- that was close to the location of the first known outbreak.
Four of the virus species are known to cause disease in humans -- Zaire, Sudan, Bundibugyo and Tai Forest.
- Transmission -
The virus' natural reservoir animal is probably the bat, which does not itself fall ill, but can pass the microbe on to humans who hunt it for food.
Chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines can also become infected with Ebola, which makes them potential vectors for transmission if they are killed and eaten.
Among humans, the commonest form of infection is through close contact with the blood, body fluids, secretions or organs of someone who is sick with Ebola or has recently died -- a risk in African cultures where relatives typically touch the body of the deceased at funerals.
The WHO says it is unclear whether the virus may be transmitted through sexual intercourse, but urges safe-sex practices among all Ebola survivors and their sexual partners.
- Symptoms -
Those infected do not become contagious until symptoms appear -- something that happens after an incubation period of between two and 21 days.
High fever, weakness, intense muscle and joint pain, headaches and a sore throat are often followed by vomiting and diarrhoea, skin eruptions, kidney and liver failure, internal and external bleeding.
After-effects have often been observed in survivors, including arthritis, problems with vision, eye inflammation and hearing difficulties.
- Treatment -
At present, there is no licensed drug to prevent or treat Ebola. However, a range of experimental drugs are in development and a batch of prototype vaccine has been rushed to the DRC. Early care with rehydration may boost the chance of survival.
In the absence of a tried-and-tested pharmaceutical weapon against Ebola, health experts have responded with time-honoured measures of control, prevention and containment.
They use rigorous protocols to protect medical personnel with disposable full-body suits, masks, goggles, gloves and disinfecting sprays.
Controlling the spread in the community is combatted by tracing and isolating people who have been in contact with an Ebola victim. Enlisting the support of the community through awareness campaigns is vital.
- Worst outbreak -
The world's worst Ebola outbreak started in December 2013 in southern Guinea before spreading to neighbouring west African countries Liberia and Sierra Leone.
That outbreak killed more than 11,300 people out of nearly 29,000 registered cases, according to WHO estimates.
The real figure may have been significantly higher.
More than 99 percent of victims were in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone although cases popped up all over the world, sparking panic.
The WHO declared the epidemic over in January 2016, although this was followed by flare-ups in all three countries.
Before the West African outbreak, Ebola killed about 1,700 people over four decades. The DRC has had nine known outbreaks.
- Congo challenges -
Rolling back Ebola is a major challenge for any country, especially in urban environments where people are more mobile and come into more contact with others than in rural areas.
But experts say this task is greatly magnified in the DRC, one of the world's most vulnerable and volatile countries.
A country four times the size of France, the vast nation has been unstable and episodically racked by violence since independence from Belgium in 1960.
Despite vast mineral wealth, it remains mired in poverty, and is saddled with a reputation for corruption and poor governance. Basic infrastructure -- hospitals, roads, electricity -- is a major obstacle in remote areas.
SOURCES: WHO, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
burs-ri/ach/bp

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


CD & DVD Marker Pens are the perfect solution for keeping your discs organized. These high quality pens are specially designed for writing on compact discs and DVDs. These marker pens are water based. After long periods witout use it may need to be moistened to allow smoother ink flow.
CD/DVD Marker Pens are permanent and non-toxic, the only pens guaranteed 100% safe for writing on compact discs.


text:
var BallsDesc = {

  names:['balls','balls','balls','ballocks'],
  namesSingular:['ballsack','sack','scrotum','bag'],

  adjectives: [
    /*0*/ ['tiny','grape-sized'],
    /*1*/ ['small','shrunken','tight'],
    /*2*/ ['','full','heavy','tight'],
    /*3*/ ['large','full','heavy','baseball-sized','dangling'],
    /*4*/ ['huge','heavy','softball-sized','dangling','pendulous'],
    /*5*/ ['massive','enormous','cantaloupe-sized','pendulous'],
    /*6*/ ['gigantic','basketball-sized'],
    /*7*/ ['colossal','titanic','watermelon-sized'],
    /*8*/ ['colossal','titanic','beachball-sized','ground-dragging'],
  ],

  // --- Descriptor Methods ---------------------------------------------------

  /* One word singular description */
  describeOneWordSingular: function() {
    return Util.selectAtRandom(BallsDesc.namesSingular);
  },

  /* One word description */
  describeOneWord: function() {
    return Util.selectAtRandom(BallsDesc.names);
  },

  /* Two or three word singular description. */
  describeTwoWordSingular: function() {
    return BallsDesc._buildDescription(this, true);
  },

  /* Two or three word singular description. */
  describeTwoWord: function() {
    return BallsDesc._buildDescription(this, false);
  },

  // --- Private Methods ------------------------------------------------------

  /* Two or three word description. */
  _buildDescription: function(actor, isSingular) {
    var balls = actor.getBodyPart('balls')
    var size = isSingular ? (balls.size+1) : balls.size;

    var desc = Util.selectAtRandom(BallsDesc.adjectives[size])+' ';
    desc += BallsDesc._chooseTexture(balls) + ' ';
    desc += isSingular ?
        BallsDesc.describeOneWordSingular():
        BallsDesc.describeOneWord();

    return desc;
  },

  /* Function used to get a texture adjective */
  _chooseTexture: function(balls) {
    var roll = Util.getRandom(4);
    if (roll == 0) {
      return balls.texture || 'hairy'
    }
    return "";
  },

};

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Nice

        It seems Snow is running as it should. Currently you are on the default home page.

        You can modify this by editing the function get_main() in
        <?php echo ROOT . 'requests' . DS . 'index.php'; ?>

        The header of this page is called from <?php echo SNOW_DIR; ?>controller.php, function ante_router()

        The footer is called from the same file, function post_router().

        The views are located in <?php echo ROOT . 'public' . DS ?>.

Code away

        You can find the documentation on Github, over here.

        Start by modifying the Index request in <?php echo ROOT . 'requests' . DS . 'index.php'; ?>.


A set of 6 designs, ideal for embossing a small pattern on your work Each pattern head is deep line cut with no annoying surrounds to spoil your work.
A barrel of approx. 50mm makes them easy to use and helps to imprint a clear design. Each pattern is about 2 cm.


text:
Q: Godaddy subdomain issue with htaccess I'm trying to understand what's wrong with my htaccess file. I'm placing my site under a subdomain in which the subdomain points to the www folder. The folder structure of the site is:
project
----app (controllers, models, etc)
----www (index.php, js, styles)

The htaccess is:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^(tmp)\/|\.ini$ - [R=404]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-l
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule .* index.php [L,QSA,E=HTTP_AUTHORIZATION:%{HTTP:Authorization}]

This works fine locally for development, but not on Godaddy. Any idea where I'm going wrong?
Thanks

A: Figured it out. I was missing RewriteBase /.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Call for Papers, Submission deadline: 10 October 2017 (EDAS will stay open for few more days after this date for late papers).
Proceedings will be published by the IEEE Computer Society Conference Publication Services, CPS, and submitted to Computer Society Digital Library for indexing, subject to approval, in IEEE-Explore and all other indices, to give your name, research and university name unparalleled presence on the WWW and internet for all global scientific scholars to view and admire your work!
to be presented at AMS2017. The event provides authors with an outstanding opportunity for networking and presenting their work at an international conference.
Suggested topics (other topics are also welcome): Simulation methodology and practice, languages, tools and techniques. Models and modelling tools. Data/object bases. Analytical and statistical tools. Simulators and simulation hardware, training simulators. Integration of simulation with concurrent engineering, integrated design and simulation systems. AI, intelligent systems, agent-based simulation, decision support systems, philosophical issues, analogies, metaphors, knowledge modelling, acquisition and synthesis of new knowledge/models, intelligent/adaptive behaviour, man/machine interaction, control systems. Parallel and distributed simulation, discrete event systems. Artificial neural networks, computational intelligence.
Applications: aerospace; remote sensing; electronic circuits and systems; communication and networks; business; management; finance; economics; leisure, games, war/conflict/rebellion modelling; psychology, cognitive functions, behaviour, emotion, subjectivity; humanities, literature, semantics modelling/dynamics; biology; medicine; public health; energy, power generation and distribution, manufacturing; planning; control; robotics; measurement; monitoring; energy; safety critica1 systems; transportation; structural mechanics and civil engineering, oil and gas; education and training; military.
Submissions must be original, unpublished work containing new and interesting results that demonstrate current research in all areas of modelling and simulation and their applications in science, technology, business and commerce.
Kindly promote AMS2017 to all your friends and contacts worldwide. Kota Kinabalu is a wonderful city to visit and Malaysia is a fascinating and exciting country to explore. AMS2017 is promising to be a great conference and is a golden opportunity to network with world specialists and forge new friendships and cooperation with colleagues in south east Asia, Europe and worldwide. Proceedings is to be published by IEEE Computer Society Conference Publication Services (CPS) and will be submitted to Computer Society online Digital Library IEEE-Explore to give your name, research and university name unrivalled presence on the WWW and internet for all global scientific scholars to view and admire your work!.
Selected papers will be considered for publication in the International Journal of Simulation: Systems, Science & Technology, IJSSST.
Best regards and hope to see you at AMS2017!!


The TT Digital Torque Tool Tester is a simple operation test instrument for quickly checking torque tool performance. The TT Series provides exceptional accuracy for measuring torque on various products including torque wrenches, manual screwdrivers, electric screwdrivers, pneumatic screwdrivers and other torque controlled power tools.
The TT's provide long operation life and power flexibility with the ability to work from the internal rechargeable battery or included AC adapter. The TT's have four modes of operation: Track for live readings, Peak which records the highest level over a test, First Peak which records the first peak reading over the test and Track/Peak which shows both the live readings as well as the peak reading recorded.
The backlit display provides an analog bar graph on screen to allow the user to know where the resultant torque is currently positioned compared to the full scale range of the unit. CW/CCW icons along with programmable pass/fail LED's ( HI/OK/LO) assist users with ensuring proper test set up along with enabling a quick determination of the results.
For more details on the TT-Series Digital Torque Tool Tester go to our Precision Instrumentation website.


Iiro Lähdevuori specialises in dispute resolution. Iiro has advised our clients in various litigations pertaining to contract, tort and company law. He has also assisted our clients in various extensive domestic and international arbitrations. In addition to litigation, Iiro has extensive experience in questions related to contract and company law.


text:
HAT TRICKS CONTINUE SERIES WITH COLUMBUS
COLUMBUS, GA – The Danbury Hat Tricks (28-13-3, 82 pts) play the second of a three-game set in Georgia against the Columbus River Dragons (22-12-5, 71 pts) on Saturday night.
In Friday night's series opener, the Hat Tricks came back from a two-goal deficit in the third period and won 3-2 in a shootout.
Without Pete Di Salvo, goaltender Brian Wilson stepped into the Hat Tricks net to start the series. Wilson made 37 saves in the win, making two sensational stops to keep the Hat Tricks in the game.
Columbus has been a tough team for visitors to play in this season. Prior to the series, the River Dragons had lost just three times in regulation over 19 home games. They had 14 wins and points in 16 of their 19 games at the Columbus Civic Center. Until Friday night, Carolina was the only team to beat Columbus in their building this season.
"This is a hard place to play," said head coach Dave MacIsaac. "It makes it that much more important for us to do the little things right and show why we are a good team. That's what we did last night after the first period."
Saturday night's game begins at 7:30 p.m. and can be seen on the Columbus YouTube channel.


text:
Q: jQuery and setInterval for HotFolder I would like to create an hotfolder. A Hotfolder is a folder when a file was upload on, an application works. So I would like in my webpage check this folder in ajax.
On click button, jQuery tell a php file (this PHP check folder). When a file is upload on the folder, jQuery tell me.
I would like to stop the checking when PHP find a file.
My jQuery code :
<script type="text/javascript">
    $(document).ready(function(){
        $("#strap_signup").click(function(){
            var refreshId = setInterval(function() {
                $("#responsecontainer").load('file_check.php');
            }, 1000);

        });
    });
    </script>

My PHP Code :
<?php
$ftp_user_name="XXXX";
$ftp_user_pass="XXXX";
$destination_file="/Folder/in";
$conn_id = ftp_connect("XXXX");
$login_result = ftp_login($conn_id, "$ftp_user_name", "$ftp_user_pass");
$contents = ftp_nlist($conn_id, $destination_file);
$om = count($contents);

if($om!="0") echo "File is in";

?>

This is work, but when php find the file, jQuery continue to check.
I would like to Stop It.
Something like this :
"if($("#responsecontainer")=="File is in"){window.clearInterval(refreshId);}"

More, my application take the file in the folder "in", works and put in the folder "out".
So I would like to check "IN", if file is dectected, check "OUT" to control the good job.
Thanks for yours help

A: Nearly, you dont need window.clearInterval get rid of the window bit and just have:
clearInterval(refreshId)


girls bedroom sets. This girls bedroom sets picture have been authored. You can easily grab this amazing graphic to your laptop, netbook or pc. You also can save this page to you favourite social bookmarking sites. How you can grab this girls bedroom sets image? It is easy, you may use the save button or you can spot your cursor towards the photo and right click then select save as.
girls bedroom sets is among the images we located on the online from reliable sources. We tend to discuss this girls bedroom sets photo in this article just because according to information coming from Google search engine, It is one of the top rated queries keyword on the internet. And we also think you came here were searching for this information, are not You? From many options on the web were sure this pic might be a perfect reference for you, and we sincerely we do hope you are satisfied with what we present.
Were very thankful if you leave a comment or feedback about this girls bedroom sets article. We are going to apply it for much better future articles. We thank you for your visit to our website. Make sure you get the information you are looking for. Do not forget to share and love our reference to help further develop our website.


text:
All posts tagged feature
'African Governments Will Be in "Listening Mode" Now More than Ever'-Monsieur Afrique
Section: Petroleum People · September 16, 2020 · No comments |
The current shock in the hydrocarbon industry "is so profound and so deep", in the view of Tim O'Hanlon, Tullow Oil's former Vice President for Africa, that "companies will find Governments across Africa in "listening mode" now than before".
That comment references the perception, by International Oil Companies, that African Governments, as a rule, are never in a hurry to follow the pointers to fiscal terms dictated by the market.
African Governments, O' Hanlon says "have sometimes been more than a bit "late-to-the-party" when it comes to adjusting the work programme or fiscal arrangements, necessary when the oil price dies and capital dries up".
O'Hanlon should know, or should he not?.
For most of the last twenty years he was the face of Tullow Oil in Africa. Known to governments and stakeholders around the continent as 'Monsieur Afrique', he negotiated the entries for the company, represented the partner countries' feelings in Tullow's executive management meetings and promoted the Tullow brand at the C-Suite level type conferences.
In those years, the company earned the sobriquet: 'Africa's Leading Independent'. Now as it leaves Uganda, winds down in Kenya and sees its Ghanaian production declining, Tullow Oil calls itself 'An independent oil and gas company focused on Africa and South America'.
'Monsieur Afrique', retired last April after 34 years with the company, and four months after Tullow's historic headlong stock price crash.
"To have African governments listen, he says is "all it will take to re-ignite the flame and get the ball rolling whereby exploration permits are extended, stay alive and stay in the right hands (like Tullow's) until the inevitable turn-around comes".
O'Hanlon: Oil explorers always seem to end up looking either like visionaries or idiots – rarely in between
The inevitable turnaround?
Mr. O'Hanlon is unapologetically clear sighted about the continued relevance of fossil fuels.
In a rare, extended conversation, his first interview with any publication since his exit, he fielded questions ranging from the future of oil, the alleged retreat of Independent companies from Africa, to the 'hysteria' about climate change.
Excerpts from the interview, published a month ago, in the August 2020 issue of Africa Oil+Gas Report.
Having spent several decades, right in the jungles of the oil patch, negotiating deals and seeing them implemented, as actual crude flow to export, how does it feel to sit back and watch things from a distance?
For the moment, I am relaxed to sit back and watch from a distance……….but my feet are still a bit itchy to be honest! While poor Tullow is not what it once was, our legacy is secured. Through the efforts of the brilliant technical people we always surrounded ourselves with and the cool leadership at the top, Tullow added many tens of billions of dollars to the economies of some lucky African nations. It's uplifting to think that ordinary people just doing their day-jobs like that have had such a positive impact on a Continent with wall-to-wall problems to solve. This achievement can never be undone.
Does any of the things happening now: lockdowns everywhere, crude oil prices going negative at some point, Massive write downs by oil majors, does any of them feel surreal?
Surreal is a bit strong. We chose to work in this oil-patch which is, after all, a boom/bust game. Oil explorers always seem to end up looking either like visionaries or idiots – rarely in between. Extreme outcomes are the norm. What we do for a living is so different from all the mainstream careers out there, that after 35 years of it – all spent in Africa – little ends up being truly surreal. Surprises, shocks, failure and setbacks are what to expect and so it becomes only a question of degree…
How do you see the future of Tullow in Africa? Is there life after death?
They say "debt is death" but that is just a corny cliché. At the right level, debt is an indispensable financial tool which is perfectly suited to our E&P business. Unfortunately, some recent mis-steps by Tullow management put our debt level in the spotlight – unnecessarily centre-stage in our story – whereas our banks had been actually quite relaxed about matters. Optics and story-telling matter in the fickle marketplace and this contributed to a spiral in equity value which of course did indeed highlight the then relatively high debt level. Discretionary spending like exploration is always the first to go in tough times and yet that's what attracted so many fans (both shareholders and African Governments) to Tullow down the years. If the new leadership is wise, it will re-establish a credible African growth narrative for Tullow – however modest for now – in order to attract again the savvy shareholders as well as the key African stake-holders before the fabulous, hard-won, Tullow brand withers further………….
With the prevailing conditions likely to linger a while longer, is there any likelihood that those many acreages in Cote D'Ivoire and other frontier acreages in Africa are likely to be worked on by the company at all?
I am on the outside now and can only speculate. While African Governments have sometimes been more than a bit "late-to-the-party" when it comes to adjusting the work programme or fiscal arrangements, necessary when the oil price dies and capital dries up, Ivory Coast has proven to be very responsive and pragmatic with us in the recent past. The current industry shock is so profound and so deep that I predict companies will find Governments across Africa in "listening mode" now than before. That's all it will take to re-ignite the flame and get the ball rolling whereby exploration permits are extended, stay alive and stay in the right hands (like Tullow's) until the inevitable turn-around comes.
For the past three years, the International Independent, whose exploration exploits since the late 90s led to massive discoveries of gas in Mozambique and Senegal, and oil in Mauritania, Ghana and Senegal, has been on the retreat. Anadarko is gone. Noble Energy is about to be wrapped in Chevron's voluminous folds, Tullow has left Uganda. Do you still see a role for International Independents finding new hydrocarbons and developing them?
No doubt about it. As long as oil and gas dominate the energy mix and Africa's energy needs accelerate like no other Continent's, investment in exploration will have a role, albeit modest for the moment. With no criticism of the MAJORS intended, the industry niche of frontier exploration has not, with a few exceptions, been theirs in Africa for the last few decades. The risk profile of true wildcatting across Africa – often onshore – doesn't particularly suit them whereas the independents' shareholders are prepared to face high risk in return for access to possible bonanza outcomes. A new crop of independents will emerge to fill these needs when the time is right. They may even start with developing already discovered resources which abound in Africa, moving out into exploration again as the oxygen returns into the room.
Is this ongoing retreat only a blip?
In my opinion, it's a wee bit more than a blip – maybe more like an abrupt and violent speed-bump! But the fundamentals are still there for the E&P business to thrive again. Africa needs development and nations develop faster with cheap energy. Resources abound on the Mother Continent and the technology and skills are there to exploit them safely and profitably. Each side – Govts and oil explorers – needs the other and this "need" is the eternal driver of good business.
What is your take on the imminent end of the fossil fuel era -especially in the context of the timeline that is now so readily bandied around?
"Bandied around" is a perfect phrase for what's going on here. Nobody ever seems to police these wild claims and you get a hearing these days once you have a wifi connection. But words matter and the IOC's speak in a much more measured tone. Nothing will happen overnight and indeed the energy transition is quietly underway. And so it should be. Fossil fuels are already being replaced in the mix by cleaner energy sources but (pre-Covid) the total energy demand was increasing worldwide. So, common sense and sound economics will prevail because, as ever, the private sector will have to do all the heavy-lifting here. The transition will happen faster in some regions than others but oil and particularly gas will have a major albeit decreasing role to play for decades to come.
You keep saying Africa needs development and nations develop faster with cheap energy. That's quite contrary to the growing narrative that solar PV prices keep going down and power generated from them is ultimately cheaper?
Solar power technology improves daily and seems to have a huge role to play in Africa's future energy needs. However, the connected electric grid leaves a lot to be desired in Africa and so, a bit like the connected landline phone system of old, sunny Africa could maybe skip a technology chapter here with solar power being generated much closer to where it is consumed. That would indeed be great. But again, it will be in the context of an overall energy mix. Oil products are relatively safe, flexible, cheap, widely-distributed and dense bundles of energy. Transport is the principal user of fossil fuels worldwide and Africa is on-the-move! Just like high-Capex / low-Opex hydro-power, large-scale solar can produce impressive generating costs on a given day and that will be a very welcome addition to the minestrone of Africa's future energy needs.
What, in your view, is the future of the oilfield service companies…Halliburton/Schlumberger/Baker Hughes? What, in your view, is the short- and long-term future of the drilling companies?
Like the IOCs, the service companies including drillers are having a grim time at the moment. But the industry is uniquely experienced in dealing with appalling risks every day which Main St. businesses can't even comprehend. How can you set out to drill a well which will cost you M$50+ and which has an 85% chance of failing? While that risk is the IOC's risk, we pay the service companies bills and therefore their salaries. So it is also their risk really in a way. But the service companies are habitual innovators, forever adjusting to the twists and turns and challenges of the business. This will stand to them and they will be fine. There will be mergers, they may have to learn new skills but change and challenges have been their constant companions in our crazy industry and thus ensured their survival to date…
Which of the majors will be left standing?
If Africa………….it will be TOTAL.
Can we anticipate a revival of the industry any time soon?
Yes….but one man's soon is another man's eternity. This COVID-19 issue needs urgent solving and then there needs to be less hysterical shouting and more listening / thoughtful discussion around the climate change debate. The huge technical, creative and financial firepower of the oil industry can then be harnessed to make a sensible and properly-paced transition towards a cleaner future energy mix. This should be done without forfeiting the right of the developing world to catch-up with our living standards here in the West which benefited from cheap energy.
Will there be a merger of activities with renewables or are these two separate worlds?
There is space and need for both entities in the energy mix for the foreseeable future. That said, the MAJORs – who have a vulnerable presence at street level and MUST therefore think big picture – will be more able and more likely to try to cover both sectors and hedge their bets through acquisition of renewable energy targets. But under the entire energy supply umbrella, there will always be a need for niche players with their expertise – be they frontier oil and gas explorers or renewable energy technology innovators. You need these pioneers and risk-takers in ours and every other industry as well as the heavy-lifters to see the job through. It's not an either/or.
There is not a lot in the media about how you showed up. How did it all start? An engineering education in the UK? Then what?
Do you remember the cartoon guy, Mister Magoo? Well I'm his Irish cousin and I've been safely walking under ladders all my life! I scraped through Engineering in UCD, Ireland's best Engineering school, then worked with Schlumberger for a few years, then scraped through Imperial College London, the UK's best Engineering school, then bumped into dodgy-Accountant (his words) Aidan Heavy in Dublin on the very week his start-up Tullow Oil signed an onshore exploration permit just outside Dakar, Senegal. It was like the blind hiring the blind although to be honest, Aidan is a superb entrepreneur. Ignorance of the scale of our undertakings was our best friend for the first 15 years but the work ethic was amazing. Surrounded by hungry, talented people – back then, mostly fellow Irish – survival was the objective and it remains the miracle of Tullow to this day. Success inevitably follows in our game if you can just remain focussed and simply stay in the game! Our turn eventually came and we surfed those waves, one after another – SNS gas fields, Energy Africa acquisition, huge oil discoveries in Uganda, then Ghana and finally Kenya. Aidan's laser focus on Africa was our big differentiator. I have been blessed to be at the heart of this story from my twenties to my sixties and for much of that time I was Tullow's Monsieur Afrique. What a ride………
The same month I retired from Tullow (April 2020) was the month Europe and Africa went into COVID-19 lockdown and the worldwide E&P sector hit the rocks. Mr Magoo again just walked under that ladder! But I am flattered to report that my phone has rung a few times with requests for advice from people with African E&P projects needing to navigate through the maze. But the maze is new every time and the same routes that Tullow took aren't available. But that's ok. There are other routes and there are similarities that I am recognising in their stories! I can probably help much more than I even realise but time will tell. A new start-up to go back and "discover" all that oil we left behind, well that's possible too maybe some day.
The New Map: Energy, Climate and the Clash of Nations
Section: ENERGY TRANSITION · September 16, 2020 · No comments |
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new disruption to a world already struggling over how to satisfy its energy needs, address climate change and cope with new power relationships in a complex new era of "Energy Transition," according to a new book, The New Map: Energy, Climate and the Clash of Nations, by IHS Markit Vice Chairman Daniel Yergin.
"As a result of the pandemic, an uncharted chasm has suddenly appeared on the map, which the world is now beginning to work its way around," Yergin writes.
In The New Map, Yergin, author of The Quest and The Prize (for which he received the Pulitzer Prize) looks at an energy world already being reshaped by myriad forces—from the remarkable change in the energy position of the United States in the middle of a contentious presidential election, to geopolitical tension with China and Russia, to the reappearance of the electric car, the growing global role of renewables and the "post-Paris" era of energy transition.
"This is no simple map to follow, for it is dynamic, constantly changing," Yergin says, as major countries chart intersecting and sometimes conflicting geopolitical paths in a new era of "great power competition."
This already-disrupted world is now being further disrupted by the coronavirus and its dire impacts on people's daily lives and the habits that underpin the global energy system. "The office of the future" for many will end up "at home", he writes, which will mean less commuting, and thus reducing gasoline demand. But that will be offset by more people driving their own cars to avoid mingling with others on public transportation, as indicated by the upsurge in the sale of used cars indicates. And "electrons will replace molecules" as business travelers make more of their trips digitally, rather than in airplanes.
COVID-19 has also opened a wholly new era for world oil—what Yergin calls the era of the "Big Three"—the United States, Saudi Arabia and Russia.
When COVID-19 triggered the shutdown of entire economies, what Yergin describes as the "economic dark age," it caused an unprecedented collapse in oil demand and (briefly) the unthinkable—oil priced at less than zero. That is when the United States, now the world's largest oil producer, took the extraordinary step of brokering an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Russia to rebalance the market.
The pandemic also raises the big question: will the pubic health related upheaval speed or hinder the much-debated "Energy Transition" from fossil fuels to renewables? Yergin recommends a degree of caution against expectations for a rapid transformation.
"The notion of a fast track to a wholesale energy transition runs up against major obstacles: the sheer scale of the energy system, the need for reliability, the demand for mineral resources for renewables, and the disruptions that would result from speed," Yergin writes. "On top of all of that is the high cost of a fast transition and the question of who pays for it—especially given the staggering amounts of debt that governments took on in 2020 to fight the economic consequences of the coronavirus."
"Energy transition certainly means something very different to a developing country such as India, where hundreds of millions of impoverished people do not have access to commercial energy, than to Germany or the Netherlands," he adds.
Yergin also observes how the global health crisis has underscored the role of plastics, made from oil and natural gas—whether for food and sanitary purposes, its multiple applications in hospital operating rooms, the indispensable N-95 mask or the-now-ubiquitous plastic shields that protect shopkeepers and essential workers.
The New Map is also a story of the clashing paths of global powers:
New Cold Wars
Energy looms large in the new cold wars that are developing between the United States on one hand, and Russia and China on the other.
Russia's path on The New Map is a mix of energy flows, geopolitical competition, contention over the unsettled borders left in the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse—and "Vladimir Putin's drive to restore Russia as a Great Power." This includes Russia's "pivot to the east," geared mainly towards one country, China and its energy needs for what will become the world's largest economy.
The New Map looks at how swiftly (and potentially perilously) the relationship between China and the United States is changing from "engagement" to "strategic rivalry" at a time when "China is expanding its reach in all dimensions", most visibly via the trillion dollar-plus Belt and Road Initiative.
It is also asserting control for almost all of the South China Sea, through which $3.5Trillion of world trade flows and nearly half of all the global oil tanker shipments travels. The most critical oceanic route in the world has become the "sharpest point of strategic confrontation with the United States."
Rivalry in the Middle East and "Peak Demand?"
The Middle East, still the source for a third of the world's oil and gas, continues to be shaped by rivalry, most notably between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and by jihadism. But it is also being reshaped by concerns over "peak demand"—how long consumption of oil will continue to grow and when it will begin to decline. This has fueled a new urgency for exporters to diversify and modernize their economies—an urgency heightened by the collapse of demand in the wake of COVID-19.
"Auto-Tech" and the "Mobility Revolution"
Concerns of "peak demand" have been driven in no small part by the emergence of the electric car, ride-hailing and ride-sharing services, and automated vehicles. This "New Triad" is challenging oil's century-long dominance of the transportation market and creating a new contest for what could be a new trillion-dollar industry—what is dubbed "Auto-Tech." But here too, the coronavirus may have "disrupted the disruption"—as consumers turn more to personal vehicles rather than shared ones.
A Mixed Energy System of Rivalry and Competition
Yergin says that the next few decades will likely see the world's energy supplies coming from a mixed system of rivalry and competition among energy choices—one where oil retains a preeminent position as a global commodity. He also emphasizes that technological innovation will be the critical factor for the future of energy.
"How fast the mix changes will be determined not only by politics and policies, but by technology and innovation," Yergin writes. "That means the ability to move from idea and invention to technologies and innovation and finally into the marketplace. This is not something that necessarily happens fast."
ENI's New Gas Find Boosts GIP in Egypt's Nooros to 4Tcf
Section: In the news · September 16, 2020 · No comments |
The Nidoco-NW-1 exploratory well has encountered 100 metres Net Gas Sand in ENI operated Abu Madi West Development Lease in Egypt.
The discovery has extended, further north, the gas potential of the Greater Nooros area.
"The preliminary evaluation of the well results, considering the extension of the reservoir towards north and the dynamic behaviour of the field, together with the recent discoveries performed in the area, indicates that the Great Nooros Area gas in place can be estimated in excess of 4 Tcf", ENI says in a release.
Nidoco NW-1 is located in 16 metres of water depth, 5 km from the coast and 4 km north from the Nooros field, discovered in July 2015.
50 metres of the 100 metre gas footage is located within the Pliocene sands of the Kafr-El-Sheik formations with the remaining 50 metres within the Messinian age sandstone of the Abu Madi formations, "both levels with good petrophysical properties", the Italian major explains. "In the Abu Madi formations a new level, which was not yet encountered in the Nooros field, has been crossed proving the high potential of the Great Nooros Area and the further extension of the gas potential to the North of the field.
ENI, together with its partner bp, in coordination with the Egyptian Petroleum Sector, will begin screening the development options of this new discovery benefitting of the synergies with the area's existing infrastructures.
ENI, through its subsidiary IEOC, holds a 75% stake in the license of Abu Madi West Development Lease, while bp holds the remaining 25% stake. The operator is Petrobel, an equal joint venture between IEOC and the state company Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC).
German Solar Firm Sells its Stakes in Egypt's 1,650MW Benban Park
ib vogt GmbH has announced the sale of its shareholding in the 64.1 MWp "Infinity 50" photovoltaic project in Benban, Egypt to Masdar, Abu Dhabi's renewable energy company.
ib vogt and Masdar have additionally signed agreements of intent concerning the purchase of ib vogt's shareholdings in three more solar parks also located in the Benban solar complex which have a combined volume of 166.50 MWp.
The Infinity 50 solar plant, inaugurated in early 2018, was the first large-scale PV power plant built in Egypt and the first to mark what would later become the Benban Solar Development Complex, one of the largest utility-scale grid-connected solar power complexes in the world. The complex comprises 41 solar plants, developed on plots ranging from 0.3km² to 1.0km² in size, constructed by different consortia, totaling 1,650MWp in capacity. It represents a landmark in the development of renewable energy infrastructure, both in Africa and in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region.
The project was jointly developed, built and has been operated by ib vogt together with its partner Infinity Energy S.A.E. One of only two projects that qualified for Egypt's very demanding, highly competitive Feed in Tariff (FiT) Round 1 programme, it is contributing to Egypt's renewable energy targets under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement.
"As the first major utility-scale solar plant in the country, this was a complex undertaking, a group effort from the very beginning and would not have been possible without the absolutely fantastic collaboration of countless parties including our financing partners, suppliers, advisors, governmental and local authorities and the local communities…a very challenging project which has been very well executed and very successful for all the stakeholders", says Anton Milner, Managing Director of ib vogt GmbH.
"This strategic investment for Masdar marks our first collaboration with Infinity Energy under the platform our two companies announced at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week earlier this year – Infinity Power – to pursue renewable energy opportunities in Egypt and elsewhere in Africa. We see numerous opportunities for our partnership in this region and continue to work closely with Infinity Energy on the future success of Infinity Power," said Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar. "We also thank ib vogt for its professionalism and support on this strategic transaction for our company in Egypt and look forward to engage on other major opportunities with the company."
Africa E&P Virtual Summit: Africa's Online Oil, Gas & Energy Event
Section: Advertorial, Events · September 15, 2020 · No comments |
Don't miss Africa's only real online oil, gas & energy event of the year! A real conference & expo, with real networking – the Africa E&P Virtual Summit will deliver the best opportunity of 2020 to connect with Africa's oil and gas leaders, governments & decision makers. Namibia, Liberia and Ghana are set to share their latest and most exciting oil and gas developments in a series of dedicated roundtable discussions, showcasing hydrocarbon potentials and investment opportunities. You will also hear from 50 industry leaders who will deliver quality content on Africa's petroleum sector through sessions and main-stage keynotes. Day 1 will end with an interactive wine tasting event, live from Cape Town, where you can make the most of the platform's networking functions. The closing ceremony of the Africa E&P Virtual Summit will end with Frontier's renown Big Five Board Awards, which will be presented by the winner of last year's Africa Oil Legend Award, Patrick Pouyanné, CEO & Chairman of Total.
Africa E&P Virtual Summit delivers…
• 7 Governments and 50 Speakers Now Confirmed
• Liberia Harper Basin License Round Update
• Face-to-Face Networking within Africa's oil and gas community
• One-to-One Business Meetings
• Africa Oil and Gas License Round Promotions
• Access to Virtual Exhibition
• Interactions with Clients
• Access to Private Meeting Rooms
• Round Table Discussions
See the full agenda and book tickets >> https://www.frontierenergy.network/africa-ep-virtual-summit-2020-overview
(Governments & NOC's can use discount code ** 50gOvUp ** at checkout)
No Palliative for the Nigerian Oil Industry, Sylva Says, "But the Coming PIB Will Help.."
By Bunmi Aduloju
The Nigerian government is not in the best place to support the country's oil industry, notably the upstream sector, with any form of palliatives, to cushion the effect of the pandemic.
"As a government we are not also in the best frame and shape at this point", Timipre Sylva, the country's Minister of State for Petroleum, has said. "Our earnings are heading south as a result of COVID-19", Sylva said at a discourse with the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE). "So, we are not in the best position right now to support in more positive terms", he explained.
Nigerian upstream operators, especially the homegrown independents who produce over 25% of the country's entire output, have lamented that they were continuing to face royalty and other taxes, a crippling debt overhang and a disproportionate burden of the cost of insecurity in the Niger Delta, despite dwindling revenues.
Sylva said that "the easier way to support is to make sure that the fiscal terms, the framework around your operational environment is actually eased off so that, at least, you can operate better. And unfortunately, these are not things that we can do for most of the time".
"But, I think", he explained, "the most important support for the industry I believe, will come from the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB, the reform legislation currently on its way to parliament), "because the PIB is taking everything holistically into consideration to ensure that at least, operators will have the best terms available".
In a short speech prefacing the dialogue, Sylva had revealed that royalties for onshore and shallow water assets (in which most Nigerian independents participate) would be reduced "in the new law". He had also noted that the law would "establish a gas base price that is higher than current levels for producers and this base price will increase over time. This price level should be sufficiently attractive to increase gas production significantly since this gas price will be comparable with gas prices in other emerging economies with considerable gas production".
Sylva offered that the PIB would be very competitive. "We are looking at the global environment. It is a very competitive environment now in the oil and gas sector. I will want to ensure that Nigeria continues to be one of the destinations of choice and that is why we ensure that the PIB is least as easy on the industry as much as possible.
Petroci in League with Sahara for a $43Million LPG Project
Section: Downstream · September 13, 2020 · No comments |
Sahara Energy Logistics Holding Limited (A Sahara Group company) and Société Nationale d'Opérations Pétrolières de la Cote d'Ivoire (The National Oil Company of Cote d'ivoire, Petroci Holding), have entered into a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) to facilitate the construction of a 12,000 Metric Tonnes Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) storage facility to guarantee LPG supply security in the nation.
The cost of the project is estimated at $43Million and will be executed in two phases, with commissioning scheduled for November 2021 and October 2022 respectively.
Incorporated as SAPET Energy S.A., the joint venture company will handle the construction, operation, and maintenance of the ultra-modern LPG storage terminal. "Upon completion, the facility will become the largest of its kind is Sub-Saharan Africa", Sahara's spokesman, Bethel Obioma, claims in a release, "and more importantly, support the government's efforts to meet Cote d'Ivoire's growing LPG demand".
The challenge with Obioma's claim is that there are facilities with similar size in Nigeria currently and a raft of construction of larger sized LPG terminals in the country, is on course for commencement before the end of 2021.
However, Ibrahima Diaby, Director General, Petroci, said of the SAPET project: "this joint venture project is the first of its kind in Cote d'Ivoire and will serve as a model for other projects in the energy sector. It is a historic event that will pave the way for a robust and seamless storage, distribution, and supply of LPG. This translates to more clean energy, growth, and productivity in Cote d'Ivoire. We are delighted and look forward to more collaboration with Sahara Energy."
"We are excited about the project and the huge opportunity it will confer on Cote d' Ivoire as the leading LPG hub in the sub-region", commented Olayemi Odutola, Country Manager, Sahara Energy.
Agreement Signed: Construction of East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline to Start in 2021
The Uganda government and TOTAL E&P, the French oil supermajor, have moved rapidly towards common ground on the country's oilfield project, with both inking an agreement that paves the way for a final investment decision (FID) on the 230,000Barrels of Oil Per Day (BOPD) development.
Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda and Patrick Pouyanné, chairman and CEO of TOTAL, signed the Host Government Agreement (HGA) for the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project. The meeting was held at the Ugandan State House, in Entebbe last Friday, September 11, 2020.
The two parties agreed on the participation of the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) in the EACOP as well as on governance issues around the benefits, to Host Governments from the export pipeline in Uganda. The project is expected to cost the consortium $3.5Billion, with construction expected to start early next year, a government statement declared.
The Host Government Agreement aims to ensure that both countries (Uganda and Tanzania) fully benefit from the project in the course of transportation of the crude to the international market. The Host Government Agreement will govern the construction and operation of the crude oil pipeline from Hoima, the Ugandan oil rich district, to Tanja, the Tanzanian port town from which the crude will be exported.
"We now look forward to concluding a similar agreement with the Government of Tanzania and to completing the tendering process for all major engineering, procurement and construction contracts," said Pierre Jessua, managing director of TOTAL E&P Uganda.
Jessua said the conditions are set for the ramp-up of project activities and in particular, the land acquisition activities in Uganda.
TOTAL E&P Uganda is leading the development activities towards production in the Tilenga project area – Exploration Area1 (EA-1) and Exploration Area2 North(EA-2N) within the Albertine Region.
Renergen's Gas Well Fails at a Prime Position
Section: Oil patch Sub-Sahara · September 11, 2020 · No comments |
A gas well being drilled by South African independent, Renergen, has collapsed at the very position the company considers most efficient and cost effective.
The well had been on a horizontal course, but Renergen had moved the trajectory on inclined drilling through the sandstone sequence to intersect the underlying faults in the underlying volcanic rock.
But the base assembly was lost before breaking through the base of the Karoo sedimentary rock and the company decided it best to abandon the well. Renergen has thus, again, revised the drilling programme and has also secured a directional drilling rig.
The dual listed Renergen (JSE, ASX) is the only active South African independent in exploration and production of hydrocarbon. Its Virginia Gas Project covers 187,000 hectares of gas fields across Welkom, Virginia and Theunissen, in the country's Free State.
The asset holds both natural gas and helium. Renergen currently sells compressed natural gas (CNG) from the hub, but following a plant expansion planned for completion in 2021, Renergen will instead produce liquified natural gas (LNG).
Earlier in the course of the drilling, the company reported "strong gas flows with high (up to 12%) helium", and announced that technical issues had necessitated significant changes from the original horizontal well design. It also said that the sections penetrated by several side-tracks had provided valuable encouraging data for future development drilling. The company noted, then, that the key learnings from the drilling were as follows:
The gas is migrating up through two major fault structures, named 2089 and 2057, which have a combined known strike length of approximately 31 kilometres
The gas emanating from the faults contains helium of up to 12%, and not the anticipated lower concentration (~3%). It was previously postulated that high helium (11%) in an earlier well at this site was a result of helium dissociation in the overlying sandstone reservoir
The sandstone is stratified with siltstone, and some coal, such that the zones of high porosity and permeability cannot be accessed efficiently with horizontal drilling.
It was the inclined trajectory chosen after these "key learnings" that has now been compromised by the failure of the rig.
"It is unfortunate that the drilling rod broke", commented Renergen 's CEO Stefano Morani, "but unfortunately accidents happen beyond anyone's control. The silver lining is that it resulted in us gaining access to a fit-for-purpose directional drilling rig, which means we will be able to drill with far greater confidence and speed."
"Where we were drilling one before, now we have multiple targets being drilled concurrently, and in some highly prospective areas where indications of gas are strong, and no exploration drilling has been undertaken to date," he explained.
The Namibian Government Would Neither Guarantee, Nor Invest A Cent in Kudu Gas Development
Section: Others · September 11, 2020 · No comments |
By Toyin Akinosho, Publisher
The Namibian government insists it does not want to ether invest, or give any form of guarantee for the Kudu gas field development.
Not even when it is meant to generate power for the country.
It is official.
This point was reiterated several times over at a recent webinar on the country's energy strategy.
Tom Alweendo, Namibia's minister of Mines and Energy, told the webinar, organized by Africa Energy Chamber: "the government was required to put in as either capital or certain physical concession, but unfortunately, given our situation, we are not able to do that. And what we have agreed to do is to say, can we find another way to actually develop that field using another business model in such a way that the government is not necessarily involved in that"?
The comment, versions of which Mr. Alweendo has made on other platforms over the last two years, keeps being surprising, considering that natural gas inflow into an economy, more than anything else, energises it, as industrial clusters, as a rule, generally grow around processed gas.
The current business model the Minister referred to is the plan to process a fraction of the 1.3Trillion standard cubic feet of gas in the field, use it to generate 475 MW per day of electricity, supply some power to Namibia and export some.
The Namibian government has prioritized renewables over Kudu Gas to power and NAMPOWER, the power utility, does not include the project in its Five-Year Strategic Plan. It's okay to do renewables, but what is the planned growth of electricity to be injected in the Namibian economy? Around 1 Million Namibians lack access to electricity, which means that almost half of the country is without access at all (~53% has access & ~47% has no access). These are World Bank 2019 figures. You have a meagre population of a 2.4 Million people and you can't even provide them electricity.
Why? A lack of industrial mindset of considerable scale.
The state is saying that it doesn't need the electricity from Kudu, but countries that have experienced significant degree of industrialization are known to have favoured availing their citizens far more electricity power than the economy demanded. Eskom of South Africa was one such example, long before it lost its way in the profligate corruption of the Jacob Zuma years.
In Namibia, no new investment has been made on sizeable generation of electricity in the last 30 years.
THE NORWEGIAN COMPANY BW Offshore concluded its farm in into the Kudu field acreage in February 2017, taking a 56% stake, with the state hydrocarbon company NAMCOR holding a 44% stake in the upstream and midstream segments of the project. The state power utility NAMPOWER, with its partners, will install the power plant, offtake the gas and convert it to electricity. But neither state owned enterprise has been able to get hold of their share of financing the project because the government is not keen.
NAMCOR was hoping that BW Offshore would carry it by paying its 44%, after the ministerial consent had been granted. But that did not happen. Further downstream, NAMPOWER is challenged in raising finance for its 51% share of the power generation side of the project.
The invoice for the Kudu Power Station in 2016, was about $749Million of which 75% would be raised as debt (limited recourse). The gas field development was expected to cost $1.15illion (70:30 debt/equity). The entire funding to get the project started was slightly less than $2Billion, although it's not clear now what the cost will be, in the light of the current Pandemic induced crisis which has forced down the cost of EPC contracts.
Again, Kudu is not only about electricity. Access to natural gas has been known to benefit economies.
Mr. Alweendo is not interested. And the Namibian government is not prepared to do any thinking on its own around the development. "We haven't had a formal engagement (with BW) as yet since last year(2019) to see how far did we get to see if we can take if off the ground", he told the webinar. "But certainly, I still think it is a potential development that can be carried out and the economic potential and the economic benefit coming from that is so immense and therefore, as a government, we will still want to see that happening but we just need to come up with a different business model than the one which was actually grafted earlier".
This story was originally published in the June 2020 edition of the monthly, Africa Oil+Gas Report
« Previous 1 … 83 84 85 86 87 … 100 Next »


Last week I attended a digital innovation conference. It brought together a series of thought leaders, digital agencies, successful companies and start-ups. It was a fantastic event with one exception: an oft-flouted phrase that really disturbed me.
A couple of presenters spoke in impassioned tones about 'loving your customer' – stomping home the message with 'Love your customer' emblazoned on slides above their heads. As one agency head said: "You gotta love your customer and ask them what they want". I grimaced.
I felt myself catapulted back to the memory of a blind date in my youth. The young man once snagging a first date couldn't help but profess his love there and then over the phone: before he had even met me. Needless to say I was a little shocked and should have stopped it there. But given I'd already committed I went on the date. Over a couple of exhaustingly long hours the young lad waxed lyrical about his achievements and personal qualities whilst he fawned over me and groped for approval. Needless to say it was the only, albeit numbingly memorable, date. I was insulted and infuriated.
Why? Because I knew this kid didn't 'love' me, or even 'like' me. His protestations of interest had absolutely nothing to do with me. It was all about him. He was seeking approval and hoping that by intimating love, I might take note, invest in him and give him what he wanted (an unquenchable desire for attention). Without realising it he was screaming with insincerity and inauthenticity. I was left insulted and angry. He was left alone.
And it's just the same for business. You simply cannot just decide to love your customer and then try to prove your love and expect results. Great relationships (romantic and economic) do not start with loving someone. They start with knowing someone.
Seek not to love your customer. Seek to know your customer.
It is only once you truly know your customer that a meaningful and profitable relationship can ensue. So how do you get to know your customer? As with most relationships there are a series of incremental steps that lead to love. And it starts with being open and listening… deeply.
It's the first step to getting to know anyone. Take some time to learn a little about your customer: his/her likes and dislikes. What are his/her interests and tastes? Can you see some synergy between their interests and what you have to offer?
Once you've established some shared interests, get to know them better. What drives your customer? What thoughts and feelings drive their decisions? What's important to them? Who's important to them? Why do they make the decisions they do?
Learn to listen deeply. Seek to understand and listen without putting your view of the world in front of them too quickly. As you listen - without judgment - seek to understand them beyond just what they say: look for the hidden, unsaid messages that can reveal their true selves. Deep observation can reveal needs, concerns and pain points that the customer themselves can't always articulate. These unstated and unmet needs are what feed value creation. It is here that innovation is born.
Invest in value creation. If you really want to delight your customer, invite them to work with you in the spirit of co-creation. Together you might create something truly unique, that your competitors have never thought of and that many others will also appreciate. This is finally where we see love start to grow. Together you and your customer can create something that is truly valuable.
No relationship will last unless it's constantly valued and nurtured. Once the commitment between you is established, keep close and connected. Stay present with your customer and continue to listen closely. As time goes by do new needs or expectations arise? Has your customer grown and changed over time? But even the greatest of loves will die without constant and authentic nurturing. It is with constancy and consistency in listening and nurturing the relationship that a truly lasting relationship evolves. This is love.
So instead deciding you want to love your customer, decide instead that you want to know them, listen to them, nurture them. Change your mantra from "Love thy customer" to "Know thy customer" and watch as your relationship blossoms and evolves.
In a business environment that is asking managers to constantly adapt to new technologies, new competition and changing customer expectations, a customer-centric culture has become paramount. Managers must learn how to develop a customer-centric mindset, culture and strategic positioning if they are to grow their businesses (and indeed their careers).
One of the challenges to building customer-centricity is the tendency to fall back on traditional ways of doing business. I've seen some organisations design operational and customer service models based around their traditional processes and then overlay customer experience like a checklist that is then ticked off. It's understandable, because it's the way they've traditionally looked to creating customer processes.
But if you want to create a customer-centric organisation you need tobuild operational processes around what the customer is trying to do (not the business).
There are three key steps that can help you build customer-centricity and bring a customer strategy to life. In my past posts I spoke about the first two steps.
Understanding customer experience with your industry and/or business (customer experience and utility mapping).
Today I talk about the final of the 3 steps: customer experience and utility. Understanding customer experience and utility is the most critical of all the steps because its where you connect the customer with your business. Customer experience is about looking at the customer experience holistically. Utility is about customers deriving value (or lack thereof) from an experience with a product or service.
Creating better customer service. Understanding customer experience and utility can help you refine your current business processes so they respond to what the customer is trying to do rather than activities of the business.
Create differentiated value. Understanding current customer experience and utility within your industry can help you identify current customer pain points and unmet needs (note: these insights are very rarely picked up in customer research). These insights lead to value creation that exceeds current industry standards.
Create new value innovation. Bring customer experience and utility to concept development of new products or services and you can createexceptional (and differentiated) customer value.
Each of the above situations is about making business decisions while looking through the lens of the customers experience rather than the business. It gives you a concrete understanding of where the opportunities for improved customer value and experience lie.
There are a number of different customer experience/utility maps or customer journey maps available. Some are designed for high-level strategic discussions (ie: to create differentiated value or new customer value). The Blue Ocean Strategy Buyer Utility Map is a good example. It groups customer value into to six key utility levers. It encourages you to look to the blocks to utility (ie. pain points or work-arounds) against each step of the customer experience cycle.
Customer Journey maps are more detailed and excellent for crafting new customer experiences and service design. After mapping a customer journey you consider the low points and high points of customer experience. With journey mapping you also consider customer touchpoints against interfaces, backend processes and operational policy etc. The customer journey map will help you to improve current customer experience or designnew products and services that customers value.
I suggest you bring various customer journey tools to strategy and operational meetings. You will soon work out which map is the most effective for which strategic conversations. Each will help you transition from a business-centric to a customer-centric organisation more effectively.
Ignore the disruption: hoping that it's a fad or that it'll take years to really impact on the business (by which time you'll have a response strategy). This is inertia bias: the attractiveness of doing nothing even in the face of certain destruction.
Try to compete with the disruptor: emulating their model and hoping you can take back some of their market share (or at least hold on to your best customers).
Neither course of action will help you manage disruption. At best it may delay the inevitable (but even that is doubtful). It is almost impossible to go up against a disruptive new entrant and compete (even acquisition of your competitor is no guarantee).
So how do you effectively defend market share and achieve growth in the shadow of disruption?
Firstly it's important that you look deeply into the disruptor and its model to fully understand the unique value and utility they bring to the market. You don't want to look just to a disruptor's extrinsic value (which is where most competitor analysis stops). You want to understand their intrinsic value. What is about their value proposition that engages customers? What shifts in customer expectations, needs or attitudes does the new model respond to?
When you can fully appreciate the value customers gain from the disruptor's offer you can then look to create new and differentiated value rather than trying to compete against an agile and powerful competitor.
Some hotel groups have chosen to view Airbnb as nothing other than a new channel to market. I've overheard hotel executives stating the model is a fad and that regulators will eventually step in to put a dent in its growth. Given Airbnb has 1.5M listings in 190 countries and is expected to achieve triple figure growth this year (pundits project 80M room nights) we should expect regulators to bend to the marketplace not the other way around. Ignoring Airbnb is a deleterious strategy.
Other hotel groups have looked at the Airbnb model, understood it as a disruptive 'channel' and decided to enter into the game. We see a number of hotel groups investing in sites such as onefinestay, lovehomeswap and airbnb itself in order to try and get some skin in the game. To my mind they're missing the point. They are looking to the share economy model on the basis of its business model (how it goes to market) rather than its value (why customers participate).
One of the most exciting responses to Airbnb's disruption has been from serial innovators Atyzen Group. They created CitizenM: the low cost luxury hotel (a great case study in itself). Their new venture is a hospitality concept for 'digital nomads': Artyzen Habitat. Habitat disrupts the hotel and airbnb model by offering a unique communal living space where travellers (including a growing market of working nomads) are able to connect to the community during their stay and have access to co-working and social spaces. Habitat staff play the role of host (rather than hotel employee), offering a non-obtrusive and personal service.
Artyzen Group has understood the value intrinsic in the Airbnb model. It's not about the channel to market; it's about creating community for travellers. They have looked at airbnb's disruptive model only in terms of gaining essential new insights. And then they have created their own disruptive innovation. While yet to launch, Artyzen Habitat is creating enormous interest and is certain to have every chance of success. I myself can't wait to book a stay at an Artyzen Habitat hotel.
How will you manage disruption?
So what does this story tell us? What is the lesson for incumbents as they witness impending disruption? Firstly – don't ignore it. Responding to disruption through innovative strategy may have risk, but it's not nearly as risky as the status quo (where eventual failure is certain).
Secondly, look beyond the disruptor's business model: it's only part of the story. Instead seek to understand the unique value that the disruptor offers to customers.
What new value does it offer?
Finally allow these insights to inform you only as far as they allow you to reimagine how new and unique value can be offered to your market (or emerging markets). Look beyond your assumptions and traditional market boundaries to find your own unique offer to the market place: your own disruptive innovation. To manage disruption, become a disruptor.
To learn more about Artyzen Habitat - watch the clip below.


Laetitia in the tenth house (Virgo) is showing that thoughts of how you are seen and how you want to be seen are likely to be playing on your mind at the moment.
Not too surprising with the start of the New Year and everything, but there is something both beautiful and yet unsettling about this. Laetitia in Virgo is always going to be unspeakably beautiful – romantic perfection, wispy, slightly suggestive and always deep – it is nonetheless critical and seeking that which it is not. It is unsettling to feel and want and answer but not know where or how to find it.
The more you press for Virgo's practicality, the more Laetitia's answer (in association with Neptune) seems to slip through your fingers.
The single tap at the top of Laetitia shows that you may be looking outwards (Level 1 and tenth house), seeking to find inspiration and possibly validation from others. While your interactions with others may be pleasant and possibly even deep they are not giving you the real 'soul-food' that you crave to satisfy you emotional hunger.
We see that Albus has again been cast in the first house (Sagittarius). This does not give us a repeat of last week's interpretation but rather a 'restatement' as the Flow shifts into a different pattern. It suggests that you still want to get your ideas noticed and that you still don't feel that they are hitting the mark – and you can blame the square aspect for that.
The Flow from Laetitia to Albus indicates that later in the week your thoughts are likely to turn from trying to find outside answers to your problems to considering what you might be doing right or wrong personally.
The single tap at Level 1 of Laetitia shifts to Level 3 of Albus and this suggests that you will actively seek some answers to your problems and that you are likely to find some. . . but are they the answers you really need?
Here we find a dilemma. Any logical solution presented to you may be physically unworkable! It's a bit like someone telling you how to fix a broken car but with you would have to use the one tool you don't have in your tool-kit (or a broken heart with the one thing you can never have)! That's bound to be stress-inducing!
So what have we got: The outer circumstances are not working but anything logical and sensible inwardly is unavailable – where do we go from here?
The situation now has a chance to resolve itself. How? Because all of it can be looked at in a new way – and that gives us the key. . .
The Neptunian imagination is still (ahem) floating around (thanks to Pisces) and the solution is related to what we do in the core of our security in ourselves (fourth house). But look at the Levels!
Level 3 stays as one tap indicating that you probably won't feel you have everything you need to keep up and to do the job. But that single new tap at Level 1 says that you don't need to have everything just yet. Inspiration and intuition need to strike first.
Let the Piscean imagination take your feelings in other, new directions. See the problems in a new way.
Let's put this simply: You have been using the right key but the wrong way round.
Same problem. Same key. Just do something 'slightly opposite'.
On reflection you'll find that you did know what you need to know, but you needed to know something else about yourself closer to home first.


text:
Snakes Pumped Full of Compressed Air Until They Die – for Boots and Bags
In never-before-seen footage, a PETA Asia investigation has revealed that thousands of snakes in Vietnam are being held in small enclosures and then killed by being inflated with compressed air and that crocodiles are being electroshocked, stabbed with a metal blade, inflated, and then, in all likelihood, skinned alive – just to make bags, shoes, belts, and other accessories that are sold around the world.
The cruelty you're about to see is common in the exotic-skins industry.
Snakes Inflated to Death
The footage shows that workers close the mouths and anuses of the pythons with tight constriction bands then cut a hole in either the head or the tail, insert a hose, and pump in compressed air – a killing method that is considered "inhumane" and "unacceptable" by international standards and would result in "extreme stress and pain", according to reptile expert Dr Clifford Warwick. A worker was filmed deliberately standing on a snake in an apparent attempt to increase compression.
The investigator was told that the snakes were allegedly stunned with a car battery before being slaughtered, but electrocution is not a humane or an acceptable method for either stunning or killing reptiles. According to Dr Warwick, reptiles rapidly recover normal mobility and reactions, and there is no good evidence that electrocution results in insensitivity to pain or stress in reptiles.
PETA Asia's footage shows a snake's tail moving during the lethal inflation, indicating that the pythons may still be alive as workers tear their skin off and disembowel them. The investigator did not see anyone checking vital signs before beginning the butchery.
"During the killing process snakes may appear somewhat immobile, but this cannot be taken to imply they are not suffering. The catastrophic internal pressure caused by the compressed air will cause severe pain throughout the snake's body, and also result in crushing forces on its heart, and severe stress on its circulation and nervous systems."
– Dr Clifford Warwick, PGDip (MedSci), PhD, CBiol, CSci, EurProBiol, FRSB
Despite hearing from PETA, Louis Vuitton and other brands that sell snakeskin continue to profit from this kind of cruelty.
Snakes Confined to Cramped, Filthy Cages
Rather than exploring lush jungles and swamps and experiencing all the sensory pleasures that they're so keenly attuned to, captive snakes are relegated to dirty wire cages in which they can't even stretch out to their full length, much less move around or climb. No water or food, enrichment, hiding spaces, or containers to bathe in were present in the cramped cages. Confining snakes in this manner is common in commercial slaughter facilities.
"Wire cages in general present certain welfare problems for snakes, in that snakes tend to attempt to escape and in so doing develop friction lesions across their snouts due to the abrasiveness of wire."
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the world that cramming sick and stressed animals together creates the perfect breeding ground for deadly viruses, and captive snakes are susceptible to numerous diseases. A PETA Asia investigator was told that many captive snakes in Vietnam have mites. When asked how this problem is treated, the worker retorted, "What's the point of doing so? We skin them anyway."
Crocodiles Stabbed With a Metal Blade and Skinned
PETA Asia's investigator also obtained footage showing piles of crocodiles with their mouths tied shut and then wrapped in bags so they couldn't move. A worker walked on top of them and crudely electroshocked them with what appeared to be a car battery. However, reptiles don't respond to electric stunning in the same way that other animals do, and there's no good evidence to show that it renders them unconscious before workers attempt to kill them.
Afterward, other workers stabbed the crocodiles with a metal blade, which is known as the "nape stab" method. According to Dr Warwick, this method doesn't directly kill them. Instead, it severs or badly damages their spinal cord, causing paralysis and likely extreme pain but not death. Scientific evaluation of this method has confirmed that crocodiles may remain alive and conscious for more than an hour and a half after this procedure, which means that the crocodiles in this video were most likely alive and able to feel pain when they were being inflated and then skinned and disemboweled. This killing method is common across Asia, including in Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
"I have no doubt that these animals experienced stressful housing, traumatic handling, and severely inhumane killing."
Crowded, Concrete Enclosures
PETA Asia's investigator also documented that captive crocodiles were held in cramped concrete enclosures containing murky water on four other Asian farms. A crowded environment can cause aggression, leading to injuries as well as infection and disease. According to Dr Warwick, "Most housing conditions for the crocodiles were unhygienic and presented continuous potential threats of disease to animals and the people who manage them. However, in my experience, all these conditions, although unfavourable, are common to almost all crocodile farms."
You Can Help Animals Exploited for Their Skin Right Now!
PETA and our international affiliates have exposed other cruel ways in which snakes and other animals are killed for their skin. Snakes are commonly nailed to trees, decapitated, or cut open and then skinned alive. Workers kill crocodiles by ramming a metal rod down their spine, and lizards are clubbed over the head or their spine is severed with a chisel.
Please don't support this suffering. Don't buy bags, belts, or other accessories made out of exotic skins. There are so many humane, eco-friendly, vegan materials available today that there's no excuse for continuing to wear or sell exotic skins.
And please urge Louis Vuitton to drop exotic skins:
PETA to Bunnings: Ditch the Meat, Leave the Onions
PETA Exposé Reveals Cruelty in Australia's...
Snakes Inflated to Death for 'Luxury' Items in...


A wind machine that brings efficiency, affordability, and mobility to frost protection.
A wind machine that brings efficiency, affordability, and mobility to cooling and temperature control.
A wind machine that brings efficiency, affordability, and mobility to dust suppression.


text:
The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams
One of those rare books that pulls at your heartstrings
Hold onto your fantasy hats, broom sticks and dragons and any hope you had for not falling in love with Tor, Vintage and Noon.
The great city of Ebora once glittered with gold. Now it's streets are stalked by wolves. Tormalin the Oathless has no taste for sitting around waiting to die while the realm of his storied ancestors falls to pieces - talk about a guilt trip. Better to be amongst the living, where there are taverns full of women and wine.
When eccentric explorer, Lady Vincenza 'Vintage' de Grazon, offers him employment, he sees an easy way out. Even when they are joined by a fugitive witch with a tendency to set things on fire, the prospect of facing down monsters and retrieving ancient artefacts is preferable to the abomination he left behind.
But not everyone is willing to let the Eboran empire collapse, and the adventurers are quickly drawn into a tangled conspiracy of magic and war. For the Jure'lia are coming, and the Ninth Rain must fall...
Jen Williams "The Ninth Rain" is unlike anything I have ever read. For a fantasy lover, it's one of those rare books that pulls at your heartstrings but also at the knowledge that it's okay to be imperfect, inquisitive and slightly mad.
Chasing dreams of finding treasures beyond understanding, Vintage is on a mission to understand the depths of humanity, while our charming; yet self-loving Tormalin wants nothing better than to escape the world he knows. He is satisfied with drinking wine and loving women, nothing wrong with that; except when your life span is more than a few hundred years, life itself become a blur and the meaning of it is distorted by the need to 'feed'. The unlikely friendship forged with Vintage sees Tor take on 'jobs' no ordinary Eborian would do, but then again, Tor is not like his ancestors and he's not sure whether that's a good thing or not. Vintage, on the other hand, is the perfect combination of wit, sassiness and is able to cut down a person with a simple phrase. Rather savage, but also delightful in so many ways. The friendship between Vintage and Tor is one that should be admired and viewed from a new pair of eyes. And then, throw in a new witch that has been kept as a prisoner because her powers are too deadly, you have one epic journey into what makes a humans, human.
The intricacy of the human world overlapped with the fantasy realm is one that is unique and that will leave readers wondering what wonderful new adventures our three heroes will embark on. But like so many tales, everything is not as it seems. If the Jure'lia returns, the world of men, the immortals and what it means to be alive will be tested to the limit. I can't wait for the second book to come out.
Jen Williams' characters are so relatable and I'm sure you'll spend your days wondering how fantastic it would be to have a conversation with Vintage. How beautiful Tor really is, not just aesthetically, and what wonderful secrets Noon is keeping. And if you should ever find yourself in a situation where the world doesn't make sense, pretend you're Vintage; always look beyond what is in front of your eyes, search with your intuition and then, perhaps you will find the answer. Just don't take life too seriously, that's Tor's take on it and if you find yourself helpless, defenceless, remember the power is always within you to change the world around you; just like Noon.
'An original new voice in heroic fantasy' Adrian Tchaikovsky
This The Ninth Rain book review was written by Snjezana Bobic
Buy The Ninth Rain audiobook from Audible, an Amazon company
All reviews for: The Winnowing Flame Trilogy
The Ninth Rain
The Winnowing Flame Trilogy #1
The great city of Ebora once glittered with gold. Now its streets are stalked by wolves. Tormalin the Oathless has no taste for sitting around waiting to die while the real...
The Bitter Twins
The Ninth Rain has fallen. The Jure'lia are awake. Nothing can be the same again. Tormalin the Oathless and the fell-witch Noon have their work cut out rallying the fir...
The Poison Song
From British Fantasy Award-winning author, Jen Williams, comes the electrifying conclusion to the Winnowing Flame trilogy. Exhilarating epic fantasy for fans of Robin Hobb....
Have you read The Ninth Rain?
The Ninth Rain reader reviews
Free Lance and the Lake of Skulls
Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
Belgarath the Sorcerer
Senlin Ascends
Winter's Reach
Craig Schaefer
Sundiver
David Brin
Trolltooth Wars
Read a free preview of The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams


This page is being updated. For more information, please leave your contact details below.
Let us take care of all your Government Compliance matter and you can focus on your business.
Use our office addresses with mail forwarding service in Bonifacio Global City,Taguig as the registered office address of your company.
We can certify and legalise your documents at Embassies and the Foreign Office.
We can offer you or your team Instant Office space and Meeting Facilities when you need them.