The Ethiopian Minister of Mines and Petroleum receives the first gas reserves certificate for Ogaden’s 7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Netherland Sewell & Associates, a petroleum property analysis and consulting firm, verified the existence of 7 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas. The company undertook a four-month study to issue the discovery and hand over the first gas reserves certificate to the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum. The study focused on the natural resources of the country, mainly minerals, oil, and gas. This is the first time Ethiopia has received a precise estimate of its gas and oil reserves. The company conducted the study on 3,500 square kilometers of land in the Somali region of Ethiopia, Ogaden.
Ethiopia’s search for natural gas and crude oil began in the 1920s in the Ogaden Basin. The first gas field discovered in the Ogaden Basin was the Cabul gas field in 1973. Two recent discoveries have been made in the Ogaden Basin in Dohar and El Kuran. A Chinese company created the Dohar discovery, and El Kuran was discovered by a UK company, New Age Mining. Ethiopia previously stated that it would construct a 767-kilometer natural gas pipeline from Cabul and Hilala to Djibouti in 2019. The construction has yet to begin but is expected to start soon. The Ethiopian Minister of Mines and Petroleum stated that the study proved the availability and commercial potential of natural gas and crude oil in Ethiopia. This dynamic resource will help Ethiopia gain power and influence to attract companies to collaborate in technology, finance, and experience to transform for domestic and export purposes
