Aminex Turns the Corner: First Gas in Sight and Fresh Life for Kiliwani

Positive signals from the latest Interim Management Report

Friday’s RNS marked a genuine turning point for Aminex. For the first time in years, management has not only confirmed Ntorya’s rapid progress into construction — but also opened the door once again to future activity at Kiliwani and Nyuni. That’s a big statement of intent, and it suggests the company is in a far stronger and more confident position than many might have expected.

A Stronger Foundation

Executive Chairman Charles Santos set the tone clearly:

“The Ntorya Gas Development has now advanced definitively into its construction phase, following the award of the Ntorya-Madimba pipeline contract. This milestone has in turn catalysed wider activity on the ground and across the project.”

This is not vague promise; it is pipeline contracts awarded, procurement already under way, and a clear timetable: pipelaying begins January 2026, with first gas targeted for mid-year.

Ntorya isn’t a small play. With a 35-year horizon, production is expected to hit a plateau of 280 MMcfd — more than Tanzania’s current total output. Initial production from NT-1, NT-2 and CH-1 alone is expected at 60 MMcfd, with revenues for Aminex to follow swiftly thanks to the free carry deal still in place.

The Importance of Seismic and Planning

APT’s expanded Field Development Plan was built on the 338 km² of 3D seismic shot in 2022–2023. This data has given unprecedented clarity, derisking the next phases and cementing Ntorya as the largest onshore gas development in East Africa.

For Aminex shareholders, this means a foundation not just for near-term revenue, but for sustained value over decades.

Kiliwani and Nyuni Back on the Agenda

Perhaps the most striking part of the statement was this:

“Once Ntorya production and revenues are established, Aminex expects to refocus on the Kiliwani North Development Licence and the Nyuni Area PSA.”

This is the first time in several years that Kiliwani has featured in company messaging. The fact it is being brought back into the conversation now signals renewed ambition. A targeted 3D seismic programme at Kiliwani and a reshaped Nyuni work programme could add a further leg of growth — and importantly, the confidence to talk about them is itself a sign of strength.

Lean and Supported

Financially, Aminex remains disciplined. Operating costs are just $0.92m for the period, with Eclipse Investments continuing to provide backing via a $3m working capital facility. Crucially, the 2020 farm-out still means Aminex is carried through development costs until revenue arrives — removing risk and preserving upside.

Outlook: Momentum and Delivery

The company closes the half-year with momentum firmly on its side. The preparatory phase is complete. Construction is under way. Gas sales are on the horizon. And for the first time in years, Aminex is openly signalling its intention to go beyond Ntorya.

That is why Friday’s RNS matters. It’s not just about timelines and contracts — it’s about confidence. The mention of Kiliwani is a reminder that Aminex’s story is bigger than one field, and that management is now looking further down the road with optimism.

Aminex: From Acorn to Oak – Chapter 7: The Ruvuma Basin Story

Ntorya’s promise and the wells that proved it

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If Kiliwani North was Aminex’s proof of concept, the Ruvuma basin was always the real prize. Stretching across southern Tanzania and into Mozambique, this frontier play had the scale to change the company’s future — if it could be unlocked.

The first breakthrough came in 2012 with the drilling of Ntorya-1 (NT-1). The well flowed at around 20 MMcfd of gas, with light condensate. For the first time, Aminex had a discovery of material size — one that could support development rather than just prove hydrocarbons existed.

Five years later, in 2017, the partners drilled Ntorya-2 (NT-2). This wasn’t just a repeat exercise — it was confirmation. NT-2 flowed at rates above 17 MMcfd and extended the known limits of the reservoir, it even brought the excitement of oil shows in the mud cuttings! With two wells delivering strong results, independent assessments began to point to hundreds of billions of cubic feet, and potentially over a trillion cubic feet, of gas in place.

For Aminex, NT-1 and NT-2 were transformational. Together they showed that Ruvuma wasn’t a marginal basin — it was one of East Africa’s most exciting undeveloped gas assets. But success brought a new problem.

Big discoveries demand big money. Building a processing plant, drilling more wells, and laying a pipeline to Madimba would cost hundreds of millions of dollars. For a junior like Aminex, already stretched by years of exploration, that scale of capex was impossible to fund alone.

It left the company at a crossroads: hold onto the prize and risk running out of money, or bring in a heavyweight partner with the resources to carry it forward..

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The Ntorya discoveries proved the potential. The next challenge was to secure the funding and expertise to turn them into production.

➡️ Next time: Chapter Eight — Farm-out & Transformation. We’ll follow how Aminex brought in ARA Petroleum, secured a $35m+ free carry, and positioned itself for a share of future cashflow without the burden of development costs.

Aminex: From Acorn to Oak – Chapter 6: Challenges and Decline

The pressure problems that forced a rethink

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Every gas field has a natural life. For Aminex, the thrill of first production at Kiliwani North soon met the reality of geology and pressure.

By 2017, just a year after first gas, KN-1 was no longer flowing at its earlier rates. Inlet pressures at the wellhead began to fall, production slipped below 1 MMcfd, and the flare that had once burned brightly was now little more than a flicker.

It was a sobering moment. For a junior like Aminex, Kiliwani had been the showcase asset: the first revenue stream, the proof that Tanzanian gas could be monetised. But as production declined faster than expected, it became clear the field was only ever going to be a modest contributor.

By late 2017, the well was effectively shut-in. Without sufficient pressure to sustain commercial flow, and with little appetite for further drilling in such a small structure, the partners let Kiliwani slip quietly into the background.

For investors, it was a disappointment. After waiting years for first gas, the payday had proved brief. But the experience wasn’t wasted. The GSA, the commissioning of infrastructure, and the operational lessons learned at KN-1 all paved the way for what really mattered: the much larger Ruvuma basin discoveries.

In hindsight, Kiliwani was always a stepping stone. It gave Aminex credibility as a producer, even if only for a short period. It proved that Tanzania’s new pipeline and processing system worked. And it reminded shareholders that small fields can’t carry a company’s future — bigger projects were needed.

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The fall of Kiliwani North closed one chapter, but it opened the next. Attention shifted firmly to the south, where the Ruvuma basin held a prize of a different scale.

➡️ Next time: Chapter Seven — The Ruvuma Basin Story. We’ll trace the Ntorya discoveries, the drilling of NT-1 and NT-2, and the promise of the much larger gas volumes that would redefine Aminex’s future.

Aminex: From Acorn to Oak – Chapter 5: First Gas

 When molecules finally flowed to market

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After years of drilling, licensing, and negotiating, the wait was over. In April 2016, Aminex announced that gas from the Kiliwani North-1 (KN-1) well had finally started flowing into Tanzania’s national grid.

It was a milestone not just for the company, but for the country. KN-1 marked the first time Aminex had moved beyond being a pure explorer and into the ranks of producing companies. Tanzania, meanwhile, gained a new domestic supply source to feed growing demand for power and industry.

The plan was a gradual ramp-up. Initial flows began at modest levels, with volumes increasing step by step over a 90–100 day commissioning phase until the system stabilised at around 25–30 million cubic feet per day. During that period, TPDC was invoiced monthly for gas produced, with payments made in advance under the security arrangements of the GSA.

For investors who had followed the company since the early Nyuni days, this was vindication. After more than a decade of waiting, Aminex could finally show a revenue line on its accounts — in hard US dollars.

It was also proof of concept. Gas from Kiliwani North flowed directly into the new Songo Songo processing plant and then into the pipeline system feeding Dar es Salaam. The whole chain — wellhead to processing to pipeline to end user — was now working. That mattered for the much larger discoveries in the Ruvuma basin, which would one day follow the same route.

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For Aminex, first gas was the reward for persistence. For shareholders, it was proof that the long story of licences, partners, and patient waiting had a tangible outcome. But as so often in oil and gas, the story didn’t end there. Within a year, new challenges emerged.

➡️ Next time: Chapter Six — Challenges and Decline. We’ll follow the pressure problems that reduced KN-1’s flow, forcing Aminex to rethink its strategy and refocus on the bigger prize in the Ruvuma basin.

Aminex: From Acorn to Oak – Chapter 3: Licence to Produce

The development licence that unlocked the field

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A discovery is one thing. Turning it into a producing field is another. For Aminex, that critical step came in April 2011, when the Tanzanian government granted the Kiliwani North Development Licence (KNDL).

The ink on that licence mattered. It meant the authorities agreed that KN-1 was no longer just an exploration curiosity — it was a field with a commercial future. It gave Aminex and its partners the right to plan, invest, and ultimately sell gas into Tanzania’s growing national grid.

By now, the partner list had firmed up:

• Aminex (Ndovu), still the operator with a controlling stake.

• RAK Gas, the Ras Al Khaimah state company.

• Bounty Oil & Gas from Australia.

• Solo Oil, the small-cap that had been steadily increasing its footprint.

This was no longer a solo act. Kiliwani North was a shared project, with multiple parties betting on the same future.

At the same time, reserve work was sharpening the numbers. By 2015, independent estimates put recoverable gas at around 28 BCF (gross, 2C) — not a giant by global standards, but enough to supply the local market for years. For Aminex, it was the bridgehead: a producing asset that could deliver dollar revenues and demonstrate capacity.

The challenge was timing. Tanzania’s infrastructure was still catching up — the new processing plant and pipeline system at Songo Songo had to be completed before first gas could flow. Aminex had the licence, but it still had to wait for the pipes.

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For long-term investors, the KNDL marked a shift in tone. This was no longer a “maybe.” The Tanzanian state had formalised it: Kiliwani North was a producing field in waiting.

➡️ Next time: Chapter Four — Gas Sales Agreement. We’ll see how Aminex translated a licence into a binding contract with TPDC, fixing the price in dollars and setting the stage for first revenues.

Aminex: From Acorn to Oak – Chapter 2: Nyuni & Kiliwani Discovery

 How early wells revealed commercial gas potential

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By the late 2000s, Aminex had weathered its first Tanzanian drills. Nyuni-1 had shown the system worked, and Likonde-1 had hinted at deeper promise. What the company still lacked was the magic word: commercial.

That breakthrough came not far from Songo Songo Island. In 2007, the company spudded Kiliwani-1, followed soon after by Kiliwani North-1 (KN-1). This was a decisive moment: KN-1 cut through a 60-metre gas-bearing interval and flowed at eye-catching rates — around 40 million cubic feet per day on test. For the first time, Aminex could point to a discovery that didn’t just prove hydrocarbons, but suggested they could be produced and sold.

This was the beginning of Kiliwani North as we know it — a modest field in size, but a giant step in confidence.

Behind the drill bits, the company kept building its knowledge base. Seismic campaigns across Nyuni and the surrounding licences tightened up the picture of the subsurface. New partners came in: RAK Gas, Bounty Oil & Gas, Solo Oil — each taking a slice of the action and, in turn, spreading both the cost and the potential reward.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing. Aminex still faced the usual hurdles of a junior explorer: raising cash, meeting licence obligations, and persuading the market that Tanzania was worth the wait. But KN-1 gave them something solid — a well that flowed, a resource that could be monetised, a discovery that put Aminex on the map.

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For shareholders, this was the first time “production” stopped being a dream and became a near-term possibility. It still needed paperwork, partners, and infrastructure. But the direction of travel was clear: Aminex had a discovery capable of feeding into Tanzania’s emerging national gas network.

➡️ Next time: Chapter Three — Licence to Produce. We’ll follow Aminex as the Tanzanian government formally stamps approval on Kiliwani North, granting the development licence that turns discovery into destiny.

Aminex Turns the Corner: Tanzania's Largest Onshore Gas Field Enters Construction Phase

Government Support, Strategic Partnerships & Imminent First Gas Position Aminex as a Long-Term Growth Play

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🚧 Boots on the Ground: Construction Has Begun

Aminex has officially entered the construction phase of the Ntorya Project—Tanzania’s largest onshore gas development. It’s a major step forward for the company and a defining milestone for Tanzania’s energy future.

“This project is of national importance,” says Executive Chairman Charles Santos.
“It’s a path to sustainable growth for Aminex and long-term economic benefits for Tanzania.”

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Strategic Position in Tanzania’s Energy Landscape

Aminex is one of the few listed companies with deep roots in Tanzania’s energy sector. The company entered the country in 2002 and was behind the first gas-to-power delivery from Songo Songo Island in 2016. Now, with the Ntorya gas field, Aminex is again at the center of a high-impact development.

“There’s only one other listed company with our Tanzanian focus,” Santos notes.
“That offers a unique opportunity for investors seeking direct exposure.”

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🤝 ARA Partnership: A Game-Changer

Following financial restructuring and strategic repositioning, Aminex completed a farm-out in 2020 to ARA Petroleum Tanzania, which now holds 75% and operates the Ntorya field. Aminex retains a 25% interest but is fully carried through $140 million of project costs, significantly de-risking its position.

“The project has been sufficiently de-risked,” says Santos.
“We’ve got a 25-year development license, and government funding is in place for the pipeline. We’re approaching revenue.”

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💡 Project Momentum: What’s Already Done?

• ✅ EPC contract awarded to two Chinese engineering firms (CPP & CPTDC)

• ✅ Pipeline mobilisation starting September 2025, construction kicks off January 2026

• ✅ First gas expected July 2026, Aminex revenue begins ~1 month after

• ✅ NT-2 well already ready for hook-up, with NT-1 and CH-1 to follow

• ✅ Initial production of 60 mmcf/day, ramping up to 140 and then 280 mmcf/day in phases

• ✅ Government has approved funding and support, signalling long-term commitment

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📈 Scale and Geology: East Africa’s Largest Onshore Gas Find

The field spans over 300 km² and is estimated to contain 3.45 trillion cubic feet of gas in place.

“We expect to recover 75% of that over 35 years,” says Technical Director Tom Mackay.
“That aligns with our license and gives us an incredibly strong, long-term cash flow profile.”

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⚡ Why Ntorya Matters to Tanzania Now

Tanzania faces a chronic electricity shortfall. While offshore projects are years away, Ntorya offers immediate, onshore, cost-efficient gas—perfect for power generation and industrial growth.

“Tanzania needs gas now—not in five or ten years,” says Santos.
“Ruvuma fills that urgent niche.”

The government’s commitment is evident:

• 🏗️ Fully funding pipeline infrastructure

• 📜 Committed through TPDC’s back-in rights

• 🔁 Working to accelerate drilling approvals and regulatory support

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💬 Aminex Outlook: From Survival to Sustainability

In 2020, Aminex was on the edge—struggling with declining production, paused deals, and COVID-related delays. But fast forward to today, and it’s a different story:

“We’ve survived the hard part,” says Santos.
“Now we’re on the road to stable cash flow and long-term growth. Aminex is back.”

With over $200 million already invested in Tanzania, Aminex is poised to start generating revenues within a year. Once cash flow starts, the company plans to:

• Revisit its Kiliwani asset (potential 3D seismic and reactivation)

• Renegotiate and reshape the Nyuni Area licence

• Continue expanding Ruvuma’s output and infrastructure

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🧠 Investor Takeaway:

• ✅ Construction is now underway

• ✅ Revenue expected Q3 2026

• ✅ Long-term licence with major gas reserves

• ✅ De-risked by carry structure

• ✅ Supported by government infrastructure and policy

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🚀 Final Word from the Chairman

“We’re very optimistic. This is no longer a ‘potential’ story—it’s execution now. Our future is production, revenue, and long-term impact.”