Sonangol signed, in the last 12 months, contracts with national and foreign companies to increase exploration and production, both in mature and emerging basins.
According to a note from Energy Capital & Power that Jornal de Angola had access to, the aforementioned contracts were signed to make the country a regional energy centre, although it is already one of the largest oil producers in Africa.
Companies such as Azule Energy (the largest independent oil and gas producer in Angola), the Italian oil services multinational, Saipem, and the consortium in which Sonangol participates, called Sonadrill, signed contracts with Sonangol to improve the provision of drilling services , logistical support, construction services, maintenance and completion of wells.
With the company Azule Energy, Sonangol signed, in February 2023, contracts worth US$7.8 billion with service companies that will be important in the Integrated Development Project of Centro Oeste Agogo – one of the largest projects in ” upstream” in the country.
The contracts were awarded to the infrastructure and energy technology company Yinson, for the supply of the FPSO unit, operation and maintenance services for the field.
Oilfield services company Baker Hughes was responsible for supplying the subsea production system and after-sales services, while engineering company Aker Solutions was awarded the contract to supply the umbilical system. In addition to these, contracts were also awarded to the engineering, procurement and construction company Saipem, which will supply the rigid flowlines, transport and installation of underwater structures.
A total of three engineering contracts, valued at US$900 million, were signed between Sonangol and the company Azule Energy, in partnership with Chevron and TotalEnergies, for the acquisition and construction of the Quiluma fields. and Maboqueiro, located in the Lower Congo Basin, off Angola.
This is an “onshore” and two “offshore” contracts, signed in August 2022, and which cover all engineering, acquisition and construction work, also including connection and assistance in all types of charges for the proper functioning from the Quiluma platform.
With Sonadrill, Sonangol signed, in November 2022, a contract set at US$327 million, for the operation of the Libongos drillship in Angola. This platform will be used to drill 12 wells for a daily fee of US$402,500, over a period of 25 months.
The multinational TechnipFMC secured another contract valued at US$250 million, in addition to the Azule Energy contract for the provision of engineering services, acquisition and supply of flowlines and connectors in the Girassol Life Extension project, located in Block 17.
According to the document, the installation of flexible pipes should extend the useful life of the Girassol field, bypassing the outdated rigid pipe bundles that began to be used even before the start of production in the field, which took place in 2021.
Sonadrill also agreed to an extension of the contract, valued at US$161 million, for the operation of its vessel West Gemini, an ultra-deep water vessel that explores the coast of Angola.
With this contract, signed in April 2022, which is valid for 18 months and which had not yet been publicly announced, the West Gemini drillship, owned by Sonadrill, will drill ten additional wells, with options to drill another eight wells .
