Sonangol announced, on Thursday 11th January, in a statement, that it had confirmed the prevalence of oil in a second evaluation well in Block 11 of the Kwanza Onshore Basin, called Kon 11, after drilling operations concluded on December 21, 2023. The document indicates that the operations were carried out by the Exploration and Production Business Unit (UNEP), having occurred “at a considerable depth” and that the drilling, considered “very positive”, resulted in the confirmation of
TotalEnergies has inked an agreement to increase its participation in two offshore Namibian exploration licenses. The French multinational is set to acquire an additional 10.5% participating interest in Block 2913B – home to the Venus discovery – and a further 9.39% stake in Block 2912 from Impact Oil and Gas, pending approval from Namibian regulators and joint venture partners. If approved, the deal would boost TotalEnergies’ stakes to 45.25% and 42.5%, respectively. Upon completion of
Portuguese multinational energy corporation Galp – alongside project partners the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (NAMCOR) and energy company Custos – has announced the discovery of light oil at the Mopane-1X well in Namibia. Located in Petroleum Exploration License (PEL) 83 in the Orange Basin, the discovery is the sixth in the country since 2022. According to Galp, drilling operations revealed a column of light oil in high quality reservoir-bearing sands. The project partners will
Nigeria’s Dangote oil refinery might kick off test runs this week after receiving its sixth crude cargo on Monday, following years of construction delays. The arrival of the sixth crude cargo from the Agbami field in the Niger Delta brings the total crude stock received at the facility to six million barrels of oil, the required amount to bring the 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) facility to life. The refinery’s operation is expected to turn
The French oil conglomerate TotalEnergies recently disclosed that it had begun a new phase in a project that has become a bone of contention globally. The oil giants said on Thursday that they had initiated a land acquisition assessment for the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (Eacop). The project since its launch has been the subject of a heated dispute between environmentalists and its primary stakeholders. “This mission will evaluate the land acquisition procedures implemented,
Angola has recently decided to exit the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), effective January 1, 2024, marking a pivotal shift in the global oil industry. This move, akin to Ecuador’s departure in 2020 and Qatar’s exit in 2019, heralds significant changes in the geopolitical landscape of oil production and distribution. Angola’s relationship with OPEC traces back to its membership in 2007, joining the organization’s efforts to regulate and coordinate oil production for stable
Oil prices steadied on Thursday after falling sharply in the previous session, as concerns eased about shipping disruptions along the Red Sea route even as tensions in the Middle East continued to rise. Brent crude futures inched up 10 cents, or 0.1%, to $79.75 a barrel by 0424 GMT, while U.S. WTI crude futures were trading 5 cents lower at $74.06 a barrel. Prices dropped nearly 2% on Wednesday as major shipping firms began returning
Contrary to most African producers, the majority of Libya’s proven oil reserves are held onshore, with offshore fields playing a limited role in production to date. Serving as Africa’s second-largest crude oil producer, the country has maximized its onshore assets through the construction of extensive production and export infrastructure. Onshore exploration features lower costs and reduced barriers to entry, thereby fostering the participation of junior and independent explorers, along with major operators. As onshore drilling
Nigerian independent Oranto Petroleum – a prominent actor within Uganda’s emerging exploration scene – has secured a two-year extension to its Ngassa Deep and Ngassa Shallow exploration licenses from Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development. The extension will enable the company to drill an exploration and appraisal well. Oranto Petroleum was initially awarded the exploration license for the Ngassa asset in 2017. The license was one of three issued in the country’s first oil
Sonangol reinforced its positioning in the Oil and Natural Gas sector, with an increase in production from operated blocks and the resumption of onshore oil exploration activity, declared the chairman of the Board of Directors, when announcing the relevant facts of the company’s evolution during the year. In a New Year’s message addressed to the company’s workers, released yesterday December 28, Sebastião Gaspar Martins highlights, in the field of onshore exploration (on land), the drilling
