China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) is understood to be considering several pipeline projects in northern and western Africa, according to the chief executive of CNPC’s exploration partner in the region. To get its African oil onto tankers to ship to the Pacific Rim, China is considering three different pipeline projects.
One could link Sudan with Chad and Niger, another might go north through to Algeria's Mediterranean ports, and a third could link Niger with Nigeria, as part of a Niger-Nigeria oil-swap deal, Clifford James of Canada's TG World Energy Corp said recently. A mixture of soft loans and aid to impoverished countries has given China an edge over Western rivals in the race for some of Africa's energy assets, but China has yet to move some of its equity oil back home. The issue is pressing, as China's oil imports are rising and domestic production cannot keep up with demand. In September, its oil imports hit a record 3.29m brl/d. At the same time, CNPC has begun drilling in Mauritania and Niger in recent weeks.
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