September 12, 2010 -- The Malaysian petroleum company, Petronas, which is prospecting for oil resources in the Ogaden basin, in south-eastern Ethiopia, is to lay off its employees working in the company’s Ethiopian office, according to the Reporter.
The employees said that they were informed of the management’s decision to lay off most of the employees two months ago. There are about 40 Ethiopians working full time for the company.
Petronas drilled two wells in the Ogaden basin. The first one is in the Genale block that turned out dry. The second one is near the Hilala gas field in block 15. The testing result of the well is not yet known.
According to The Reporter, the Malaysian professionals who left for Malaysia did not return to Ethiopia. Petronas is also sending its vehicles and machineries that it had imported duty free back to Malaysia.
Petronas has been exploring the Ogaden basin since 2006. The company acquired an exploration area covering 93,000 sq.km. The company collected numerous seismic data in the Ogaden. “They did a remarkable job,” says an industry analyst. “They drilled two wells, though the result of the second one is yet to be determined,” the analyst said.
Source: Reporter
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