Morocco gets solar energy backing The Clean Technology Fund Trust Fund Committee (CTF TFC) has endorsed the Investment Plan for Concentrated Solar Power in the Middle East and North Africa Region, which aims at mobilizing $5.6 billion (including $750 million from the CTF) to accelerate deployment of 1 GW of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) generation capacity, doubling the worldwide CSP installed capacity. Morocco is the country with the largest proposed capacity in the MENA CSP CTF IP. The first plant to be developed under the CSP scale-up initiative is the 500 MW Ouarzazate plant in Morocco, which is the largest proposed CSP plant in the world. Petroceltic looks into Algeria Oil and gas explorer Petroceltic continues to focus on Algeria, where a five-well drilling program made a sizable gas condensate discovery at Ain Tsila, estimated at some 5.5 trillion cubic feet of gas. After securing a two-year license extension to appraise the discovery, Petroceltic, which owns a 75 per cent interest, and its Algerian partner Sonatrach (25 per cent) have planned an appraisal program of at least three wells, with drilling expected to start in early October. Progress elsewhere has been mixed. The sale in 2009 of an interest in the company's Tunisian block to PetroAsian fully funded Petroceltic's $14.5m (£9.4m) drilling campaign this year. The first well was dry and the second is currently drilling. Tunisian Businessmen Council in Gulf countries launched Chaired by Mr. Hédi Djilani, the chairman of the Tunisian Industry, Trade and Handicrafts Union (UTICA), the Tunisian Businessmen Council in Gulf countries held, on Tuesday, its constituent assembly at the Tunisian Industry, Trade and Handicrafts Union (UTICA) headquarters in Tunis. The creation of this structure aims at developing exportation of Tunisian products to the various Gulf countries and organizing a permanent exhibition of national products in each country of the region. Libyan Shoah survivors to get reparations Jews who immigrated to Israel from Libya after being persecuted by the Nazis during World War II will be eligible for reparations, the Prime Minister's Office said Tuesday. The move was promoted by the PM's Office and Finance Ministry together with the Holocaust Survivors' Rights Authority. According to the statement, “The Libyan Jews' eligibility is based on their exposure to the Nazi persecution and their escape from their homes for fear of this persecution.” Sudanese, Chadian Forces Search for Kidnapped Chinese Worker Sudanese and Chadian forces are searching for a Chinese engineer who was kidnapped in Chad and is being held in a town along the border with Sudan's western region of Darfur, a Sudanese army spokesman said. An unidentified armed group abducted the Chinese worker in the town of Bahai inside Chad and took him to Sharq al-Teyna, spokesman al-Sawarmi Khaled said today by phone from Sudan's capital, Khartoum. BM
