The American fund Carlyle is in discussion for several large investments with
African oil heavyweights. Investigation.
Carlyle negotiates with partners of choice to explore virgin blocks or make discoveries.
Big bets on Aidan Heavey - $1 billion! This sum would make any newcomer to exploration dream
in Africa . According to our sources, it is around this amount that the former CEO and founder of Tullow Oil,
Aidan Heavey discusses with the energy managers of the American investment fund Carlyle in order to
launch its project for a new oil company with a focus on West Africa ( AEI 842 ).
The privileged interlocutor of Heavey and his partner, the former financial director of Tullow Oil Thomas
Hickey is none other than Marcel van Poecke, director of Carlyle International Energy Partners (CIEP). It's about
of the oil arm of the fund focusing on investments outside the United States. After
his departure in 2017 from the board of directors of Tullow Oil, Heavey quickly decided to revive
with elders of his ex-firm. His brother-in-law, Tim O'Hanlon, still vice-president of Tullow Oil, in
in charge of sensitive negotiations in Africa , could moreover join him in his new adventure in
2020.
The Past Assala Energy - If a financing deal materializes with Aidan Heavey and his associates,
Carlyle and Marcel van Poecke will have already trusted two former Tullow Oil workers. In 2017, CIEP had
financed Assala Energy led by the former Africa adviser to the president of Tullow Oil, David Roux. This last
had also led the Gabonese activities of the junior. CIEP then bought almost all of the assets of
the Anglo-Dutch major Shell in Gabon for $628 million, then entrusted the operations to Assala Energy (
AEI No. 784 ). Unlike the latter, which is content to operate deposits at the end of their life or
undeveloped discoveries of small sizes, Aidan Heavey would rather follow Tullow 's model
Oil, focusing on still poorly known areas in order to update new deposits and then
attract majors to develop them (see here ).
The other targets - Carlyle has been prospecting for several months in various African oil-producing countries to
implant. As we revealed, the fund is particularly interested in the multiple opportunities
in Equatorial Guinea ( AEI 836 ), a country where most majors want to divest themselves of certain assets or
just pack their bags. This is notably the case of ExxonMobil. The American major wants to sell
Zafiro, coveted by Trident Energy and Tullow Oil (see here ). Carlyle would also look at assets at
Congo-B, currently in full organization of a new call for tenders , and in Chad.