Parliament heard today that 29 geological blocks in Chama and Lundazi districts in Eastern province have so far been demarcated for prospective oil explorations.
Mines and Mineral Development Minister Maxwell Mwale told parliament that his ministry has invited exploration companies to bid for the oil and gases that show positive indications of the mineral resource in the province.
Mr. Mwale, who is also Malambo Member of Parliament (MP) told the house that 153 soil samples were collected in Chama while 211 others were collected in Lundazi to determine the quantity and availability of the two minerals.
He said to this effect, government has replaced the Mineral Act of 1985 to favour more prospectors to freely conduct mining activities in the country.
The Minister said that three other provinces namely North-western, Luapula and Western have shown signs of oil and gas while Southern province has prospects for gold. He said exploration works would soon commerce in the said provinces.
Mr. Mwale was responding to a question by Nyimba MP Forrie Tembo who wanted to find out the latest oil and gas exploration in Chama and Lundazi districts by government.
Bwangweulu Patriotic Front (PF) MP Joseph Kasongo asked the government as to when it would start exploring the gold deposits in his constituency.
Mr. Mwale assured that the exploration of oil and gases is an on-going and that government has since embarked on land demarcation exercise to potential prospecting firms.
ZANIS/KC/ENDS/MM
Number 1
That is great news for as long as that oil doesn’t end up coming from ‘grass’ and that we do not spend money where there is nothing.
#2
Same thought as yours. I hope we don’t waste money or put in some pockets of certain individuals
With copper prices plummeting, we really need oil in our country. With oil, Zambia will never go wrong!!
We need to reinvest in Agric as well.
This would be good news but, once upon a time we heard of oil producing ‘grass’ from the Eastern part of Zambeziland.???!!!
How do we start exploring the East when we have not concluded the speculations of ‘oil’ in N/W Province? Are we not putting too many irons in the fire?
Kindly update the nation on the first findings before we are confused by these ‘new hopes’
God bless Motherland.
Hold your horses people! Where are the refineries in Zed to process this oil? Where are the pipelines to get this oil to market? If Zed is going to make money from this oil then major investment needs to take place to prepare for this manna.
I hope people with the right qualifications can be put in place to report the actual situations that exist in some of these critical fields! For sure, Zambia has the right geological provinces to have Oil and other minerals, and the only draw back is that govt has done nothing dispite having about 60% of the Country unmapped. Geological Survey and Industry hasn’t even got enough geologists to do the work, and the Govt seems to be relying on outsiders to do the work! When the Investor and/or exploration company comes, will first ask govt a question on the existence of a geological Map & then they’ll say none! How then can you convince someone that you have resources?
#6.Chanda Musyalike
This total confusion on the part of Govt! If you remember, a similar article was debated upon of Govt saying they’ll open up Oilfields in Chavuma. It’s not all that simple as they put it!
1) Exploration work should lead to drilling so that they test the findings from grabe samples.
2) If the oil has been found, then they need to do a feasibility(characterization of the wells-basically coming up with well efficiencies, and quantification of aquifers) study that involves test pumping to determine the the amount of Oil present, and how long it will last.
3) Determining the cost of operation and comparing with profits, if Well are found to be productive.
#7 so you are saying no oil until we build refineries and pipelines? Galu!
oil from grass, lemon grass gives oil but in small amounts, KK’s dream was far fetched. Oil in chavuma, may be bog marsh gas, as a result of dead biomass always produces methane and people may get excited that wallah, black gold is in the vicinity. Ask Angola were they get oil from, right from below the ocean bed, a normal area for most non middle east countries to get oil. Texas has but not in large amounts thats why u see US importing the commodity.
Nigeria has but in the Niger delta, right besides the ocean. so you see chances of getting an oil well inland are a bit low but we better give it a shot than just folding our hands. Who knows we may be sitting on the largest oil field
#7, you need the oil first before you lay pipelines, and any way pipelines to where? you can set up a refinery next to the well and use either rail or road network to carry the finished or partially finished product to the market. mulesalapuka. By the way, the oil we are talking about is CRUDE OIL of which a totally new refinery has to be built as INDENI only refines co-mingle, that is some refinery works on the crude, gets diesel, gasoline and kerosine for us but for tranportation purposes, mixes these components so that they will be refined at INDENI. Wamona tefyo. So INDENI is a semi refinery per se coz it just re refines what has already been refined somewhere else.
Sudan gets it oil in land….
Hold on people – we are continually been taken for a ride! We need time-frames and procedures and laws in place before talking about exploration ! There seems to be no objectivity in what we are doing pa Zed! I am sick and tired of hearing the same story over and over again. I was recently led to find out that some of the world’s best diamonds are from Zambia being sold outside the country without our knowledge.. I smell a RAT with oil.. again! This “samples” lie is a way of milking the country by some selfish individuals. BTW – having oil does not make a country rich.. look at Nigeria. Z Government ..PLEASE BE OBJECTIVE and LEARN from mistakes made by others!!!!!!
Not Chama again! I was ten when i heard about Oil in Chama. Those guys came drilled and took samples but never returned? ( where they samples or aquamarine or blues sky Semi-precious stones)
Discovery of oil,putting up a new Refinery next to the Well or Pipeline to the new refinery, good ideas which will atleast attract billions of dollars. The other immediate, less costly and convinient alternative is simply to buy Hydrocarbon Craker and put it at Indeni, find a good company to transport crude from Angola or wherever it will be discovered and Indeni will process that crude. This will help us as we wait for oil explorations and building of new refinery.
Geologist from Canada well said.
I hope and pray that the Director of GSD in Zambia is sure of what he tells the ministers. Politicians go, professionals will always be haunted by they lies. Rembember BREX
#13, offcourse the reason is simple the terrain of Sudan is just to proximal to the oil bed in north east asia, saudi arabia to be specific. That what happens even in Libya. But certain terrains dont support the extreme deep drilling involved. Think of depth as a major issue coz drilling down the earth crust to reach the oil bed is not just a simple furrow dig up. Otherwise we shud be seeing oil wells in Angola near the Zambian border but there aint any. Does that sound a click in your ear? In Angola the Oil is on the western side facing the ocean not on the eastern side facing zambia.
hahahaha! the Director at the Geological Survey has no teeth. He has no capacity to undertake such simple tasks as soil sampling for independent verification of these oil rumours. I disagree with the geologist in canada that zambia has no geologists. There are plenty but they can’t work in da govenment because it has no capacity to pay such professionals. They are spread in they diaspora where they get very good cash and i think including you geologist in canada. you ran away from poor GRZ pay and you cannot return back!
‘Parliament heard today that 29 geological blocks in Chama and Lundazi districts in Eastern province have so far been demarcated for prospective oil explorations.’
I have heard tyoo much of these explorations, but conclusive results of them have not been forth coming. This makes everythign appear as a circus. Can we for once have information on what is the outcome about the explorations and where it is feasible to open companies for some of us are willing to invest into such new ventures in Zambia.
If oil was found in northwestern Zambia, Angola would have been the first to drill oil wells since these guys started a long time when Zambia was Northern Rhodesia. The geological information i have (check unza special collections) shows clearly that most of these so called mineral deposit discoveries in the LPM era were already done by the colonialists and it was just step by step exploitation which would have followed had they stayed late like in Zimbabwe but we got independence just too quickly and all the plans went back to the london shelves. Just go to the Geological surveys office and you will be shocked at how much data for Zambians mineral is. Pipo shud not be duped, if oil was ther
contd from 21
if oil was there, we would be singing a totally different song by now. But most people get mistaken when they hear that there is Oil in Angola, remember, its in Cabinda Province an exclave of Angola. This province is strictly not part of Angola but may be part of either Congo Kinshasa or Brazaville. It this province that is very far from Zambia that produces most of the oil in Angola though some new deposits were found offshore. The areas in question (Chavuma and Chama) are rich in precious stones and this is why KK hid this information which is being revealed now but sadly for the benefit of the disgruntled explorers who dig deep enough to scoup emeralds and diamonds
meanwhile baleakana ama plot mu parliament thinking its ma foreign based exploring firms, u will hear soon. But these guys are heartless, how can they fatten their pockets while Zamtel workers were given a red card though am told its now reduced to a yellow card.
i AGREE WITH ALL OF YOU!!! tHAKS
This oil thing is becoming silly. I thought oil was discovered in N/Western as announced during the by-election won by Pande.
Politicians should be accountable on WHAT THEY ARE doing NOT what they intend to do.
#19.Chiwembe
Iam a geologist and graduated from UNZA and if you have been to the Geological Survey of Zambia, you’ll be surprised at what the building has become. The establishment is supposed to be more than 60 geologists & this is for the whole country apart from the ones you have in Industry! If you go there, you’ll not find even 15 geologists, yet these are the people who need to do regional mapping, soil survey, economic appraisal of Metallogenic provinces, geochemistry & geophysical surveys before any exploration work can start! Yes! Am Former Staff Development Fellow at UNZA, but never run away as am just getting hands-on experience and will surely go back as a fully fledged Geologist
#19.Chiwembe, you and I need to go back and contibute to the development of Zambia!
The truth of the matter is that, there are not enough geologist in Zambia. Only the last two academic years at UNZA have enrolled,27 & 28 students in geology dept! Previously, the Whole country was graduating less than 10 students! In 2006, geology graduated 2 students and right now, you’ll find a lot of geologist from Zimbabwe working in Zambia since all Zambian geologists are employed.
This is where the Govt hasn’t done their job, but keep on announcing things which they can not fully grasp! Let them creat a good environment for Zambians to work better and not just emphasizing on foreigners!
This has become a circus or merry go round! I agree with no 6. It appears we are going round and round! I expect Mwale to report on the progress so afr in NW and when drilling is starting. If you read the article well, he says exploration will start soon in all the provinces. I am very confused! Nali muchimbusu one day and I was going through a paper and then the title “Zambia discovers Oil” caught my eyes! So what I am hearing now is that we have not done so and we need to start exploring again??? Let us be serious!