Somoil doubled, between 2020 and 2022, oil production from eight to 17 thousand barrels/day, due to the investment applied, in the last two years, in drilling and in new technologies, according to the chairman of the Executive Board.
Edson Rodrigues dos Santos said that the Angolan oil company – Somoil, which operates in block 2/05, in shallow waters and in the FS&FST block, in the “Onshore”, in the municipality of Soyo, in the province of Zaire, is committed to expanding production of oil in deep waters off the Angolan coast.
“We are working with the company Total Energies for the entry of Somoil in block 14. In addition, we want to be present in other blocks, such as 31 and 32, which are operated by Total Energies and BP”, he said, noting that the goal of Somoil is to become the largest Angolan private oil company in the exploration of oil in “onshore”, “offshore shallow water”, “offshore deep water” and “ultra-deep”.
According to the PCE, in 2020, Somoil changed its strategic vision, transforming itself into an integrated energy company, from the production well to the energy that reaches the home of the Angolan citizen.
perspectives
For Edson dos Santos, one of Somoil’s main challenges is to expand, in the coming years, the network of gas stations throughout the national territory.
The Angolan oil company also aims to reach other parts of the country, not only in Caxito (Bengo), Luanda and Soyo (Zaire).
“We want to have approximately 50 networks of gas stations across the country. Solar energy is also part of the bet, because with renewable energies, we want to reach the consumer’s home. In addition to selling diesel and gasoline, the supply will also be made for electric cars. All the energy at a Somoil station will be from solar energy”, he pointed out, indicating that the filling stations will also have convenience stores, restaurants and service stations.
He referred that Somoil has 300 workers and with the expansion of new production wells, the number of employees could increase with the aim of making the Angolan oil company private.
BP drills new wells
BP, which has been operating in Angola since 1996, is drilling three new oil wells in block 31 and production is scheduled to start in August this year.
BP’s vice-president for subsurface area, Pedro Sebastião, said in an interview with Jornal de Angola that the British oil company brought the Platinum project, in block 18, to the country, which will allow raising levels of oil exploration and production.
Currently, according to Pedro Sebastião, BP is producing 160,000 barrels of oil/day in blocks 18 and 31.
“In addition to the Platinum project in block 18, we have several oil production projects in block 31 in our portfolio. For production activity, BP has 80 percent of national technicians. To ensure continuity, we are in the process of training of these frames so that in the future we can increase our share of production”, he said.
