ExxonMobil Makes 20th Oil Discovery in Angola’s Block 15 After 2.7 Billion Barrels of Production
ExxonMobil and its partners have made a new oil discovery offshore Angola, marking the 20th discovery in Block 15, one of the country’s long-established deepwater producing assets.
The discovery was made at the Vicango Este-01 exploration well, located approximately 370 kilometres north-west of Luanda in about 940 metres of water. The well was drilled using the Valaris DS-9 drillship.
Angola’s National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG), ExxonMobil and the Block 15 partners announced the discovery on September 9, 2026.
The Vicango Este-01 well encountered approximately 25 metres of hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone, with reported porosity of 22%.
The results indicate the presence of hydrocarbons in a reservoir with characteristics that could support further evaluation.
However, ExxonMobil and ANPG have not yet disclosed an estimate of the volume of oil in place, recoverable resources, development costs or a potential production start date. The commercial significance of the discovery will therefore depend on further appraisal and evaluation.
20th discovery in a mature producing block
The latest find is significant because it comes from a mature offshore block that has already generated substantial oil production.
Block 15 began production in 2003 and has produced more than 2.7 billion barrels of oil over the past three decades. The Vicango Este-01 discovery is the 20th discovery recorded in the block.
ExxonMobil operates Block 15 with a 40% interest. The company also holds interests in other producing deepwater assets in Angola, including Blocks 17 and 32.
Because Vicango Este-01 is located within an existing producing area, any future development could potentially benefit from infrastructure already established in Block 15.
A tie-back to existing facilities could reduce the infrastructure requirements associated with developing a standalone offshore project.
Such a development option has not been confirmed, however, and would depend on the size and quality of the discovery, technical assessments and commercial considerations.
Supporting Angola’s upstream sector
The discovery comes as Angola seeks to sustain oil production from its mature offshore fields while attracting additional investment into exploration and development.
The country has introduced measures aimed at extending the productive life of mature fields and encouraging new exploration activity.
International oil companies have continued to announce discoveries and investment plans in the country.
TotalEnergies, for example, announced plans earlier in September to invest approximately US$10 billion in Angola over the next five years, while also announcing a new discovery in Block 17 and agreements covering two additional exploration blocks.
The continued exploration activity demonstrates the ongoing interest in Angola’s offshore petroleum resources, particularly as operators seek to identify additional volumes around existing infrastructure and extend production from established assets.
For ExxonMobil, the Vicango Este-01 discovery adds to a long exploration and production presence in Angola and provides another opportunity to evaluate additional resources within Block 15.
Further appraisal work will determine whether the discovery can be commercially developed and how it could contribute to Angola’s future oil production.
