Namibia, once considered a frontier market in the energy sector, is rapidly emerging as a potential oil powerhouse. Recent discoveries in the country’s offshore Orange Basin, particularly the Venus and Graff discoveries, have attracted significant attention from international oil majors, raising hopes of a transformative economic impact. However, several factors, including geopolitical considerations and the financial viability of extraction, will play a crucial role in determining the success of Namibia’s oil ambitions.
Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) has pulled out of the race to buy half of Galp Energia’s (GALP.LS) stake in a large oil discovery in Namibia that has attracted interest from top energy companies, sources with knowledge of the matter said.
Namibia has been advised to use oil revenue to invest in other sectors of the economy to diversify income streams.
Canadian oil and gas company Africa Oil Corp. has set the wheels in motion to expand its ownership interest in Impact Oil & Gas, an Africa-focused exploration player with hydrocarbon exploration and appraisal assets in the Orange Basin off the coast of Namibia.
Namibia has ambitions to become one of the largest oil producers in Africa by 2035, with an average output of half a million barrels daily, displacing Egypt in the top five list, a government official has said.
Global Petroleum, an AIM-listed oil and gas upstream exploration company presently focused on Africa and the Mediterranean, has engaged in discussions to secure a farm-in agreement with an undisclosed potential operating partner for its petroleum exploration license (PEL) 94 in Block 2011A in the Walvis Basin, off the coast of Namibia.
In July, Canadian independent Reconnaissance Energy Africa (ReconAfrica) spud the Naingopo-1 exploration well in the Damara Fold Belt in Namibia’s Kavango basin.
Brazil’s state-run oil firm Petrobras has made a non-binding offer to buy a major stake in Galp Energia’s huge offshore oil discovery in Namibia, Petrobras exploration and production director Sylvia dos Anjos told Reuters on Friday.
The major players on the world energy production stage are well known, and particularly in the field of oil and gas, where most of them have been in the game for a long time.
Global oil and gas exploration is increasingly concentrated in “core” areas like Guyana and Namibia, where recent discoveries have been made.
While this concentration brings economic benefits, it also raises concerns about unexplored potential in other regions and the environmental impact of deepwater drilling.
Namibia, with its recent discoveries and influx of major oil companies, is poised to become a significant player in the global oil and gas market, but must navigate the challenges of the “resource curse.”