JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 25 (Xinhuanet) -- The World Petroleum Council (WPC), leading global organization on oil and gas, will be holding its globally attended Congress in South Africa on September 25-29,the first time the organization holds its tri-annual Congress on the African continent in the 72-year history.

    According to organizers, it is appropriate that an African country is hosting this year's event, given the intense exploration and drilling activity on the continent and "the congress is also a perfect place to showcase what South Africa andAfrica have in terms of energy resources."

    South Africa is the host country and PetroSA the host company, while the National Oil Corporation of Libya (NOC), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Sonangol (Angola) and Sonatrach (Algeria) are the co-hosts of this most prestigious industry, and truly African, event.

    The following are brief introductions to the above-mentioned companies.

    PetroSA: As the national oil company of the Republic of South Africa, the company owns, operates and manages the government's assets in the petroleum industry. It was formed in January 2002 from the merger of three previous entities, Mossgas (Pty) Limited, Soekor E&P (Pty) Limited, and parts of the Strategic Fuel Fund Association. In the spirit of true African hunters, it is vigorously pursuing exploration opportunities in South Africa and on the African continent. It boasts the world's largest refinery using the Gas-to-Liquid technology.

    NOC: NOC was established on November 12, 1970, to assume the responsibility of the oil sector operations. The state-owned integrated oil company controls Libya's petroleum industry; it hasproved reserves of 29.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent. NOC engages in exploration and production primarily through agreementswith foreign companies. Libyan oil accounts for 95 percent of the country's exports with Italy being Libya's largest oil customer.

    NNPC: Whether it's downstream or upstream, the NNPC goes with the flow of oil and gas. NNPC oversees the petroleum industry of one of the top oil-producing countries in the world. A product of Nigeria's 1977 nationalization of the industry, the NNPC produces oil through dominant positions in partnerships with major world oil companies. The NNPC also oversees the nation's natural-gas industry. With Chevron and British Gas West Africa, NNPC is building a 6 billion dollars liquefied natural gas plant, set to open in 2008, that will supply 30 million tons of gas each year. It plans to supply 70 million tons a year by 2009.

    Sonangol: Full name Sociedade Nacional de Combustiveis de Angola (Sonangol). Established in 1976 as the national oil companyof Angola. Fully owned by the state and serves as the business armof the Angolan government. Sonangol is the sole concessionaire foroil exploration and production in Angola. Main businesses of the company's prime activities include exploration and production, petroleum product supply to the domestic market, petroleum productand crude oil external marketing and an airline industry to support the petroleum operations.

    Sonatrach: As Algeria's national oil company, Sonatrach (Entreprise Nationale Sonatrach) plays a key role in both upstream and downstream oil and gas industries. It is responsible for exploration and production, transport, refining, processing, marketing and distribution. It also has an important role in the chemicals industry of Algeria, owning fertilizer plants and petrochemical facilities. Through its subsidiaries, the company has a domestic monopoly on oil production, refining, and transportation. Algeria's oil sector, though, is not completely open to foreign companies. All foreign operators must work in partnership with Sonatrach, with Sonatrach usually holding majority ownership in these production-sharing agreements. Enditem