The six-year licensing round launched by Angola’s national concessionaire, the National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG), covering as many as 55 blocks in total, with the aim of providing the IOC and competing Angolan operators with regular and transparent opportunities to explore and develop the country’s hydrocarbon potential. It has thus, become a measure of attracting and securing global investments.
The ANPG has been tirelessly putting efforts to attract foreign investments in exploration and production, in order to enhance economic growth. African Energy Chamber Executive Chairman, NJ Ayuk and ANPG CEO and Chairman, Paulino Jerónimo, met last week in Luanda, as part of a working visit to the country.
They discussed ways to enhance the country’s enabling environment and the impact of the on-going mult-year licensing round. With recent developments, in the industry, the impact license reform and promotion cannt be overemphasized. ANPG concluded the country’s 2023 licensing round, in January this year, whereby 12 blocks were available in the Lower Congo and Kwanza basins.
The regulator announced that 53 bids were submitted, demonstrating the scale of interest in the country’s acreage. The tender invited both national and international entities to participate, emphasizing criteria for operator status and the formation of contractor groups for the onshore blocks.
Furthermore, the ANPG is preparing for the next round of the licensing initiative, wich will be launched in 2025. The round will cover 10 blocks in the Kwanza and Benguela basins. The ANPG is also actively promoting exploration and production in the frontier Namibe basin.
Energy major ExxonMobil plans to invest $200 million into exploring Blocks 30, 44 and 45 in the Namibe Basin, where the company, in partnership with NOC Sonangol, plans to drill an offshore frontier exploration well by late 2024.
Also, the ANPG is overseeing three onshore, five in shallow water, six in deep water, and two in ultra-deep water concessional operations accross Angola, with numerous concessions under exploration.
This extensive array of operational, exploratory and developmental concessions highlights the significant potential and active investment landscape within Angola’s oil and gas sector.
With a success rate of 30% in its oil and gas opportunities, Angola is the second-largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa and is recognized as one of the top five most attractive countries globally for oil and gas investments.
The diversity of Angola’s imvestor base is seen in the presence of major IOCs such as Chevron, TotalEnergies, Azule Energy and ExxonMobil -alongside competitive operators such as Afentra and Etu Energias.
