Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas and Navitas Petroleum estimate that Block 1 CBK offshore South Africa contains more than 3.6 Bbbl of unrisked prospective oil resources and approximately 4.5 Tcf of prospective natural gas resources.
Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas said it made significant progress across its Atlantic Margin exploration portfolio during its fiscal year ended March 31, highlighting strategic partnerships with bp and Navitas Petroleum that advance exploration activities in Namibia, Guyana and South Africa.
South Africa plans to increase its strategic oil reserves for the first time since the apartheid government stockpiled crude, adding to measures across the continent to mitigate supply shocks.
South Africa’s Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has executed a 25-year terminal agreement with Ukwanda LNG for a regasification project at the Port of Ngqura.
It is not an exaggeration to say that South Africa’s offshore gas discoveries offer up a potential economic transformation for the country that would be on par with Guyana’s oil-driven boom or Suriname’s emerging energy sector.
The oil giant is challenging, alongside the South African government, a decision by the Western Cape High Court to set aside the environmental impact assessment for Block 5/6/7 — a license previously held by TotalEnergies SE, the company said in response to questions.
“As the successor operator of the license Shell has a direct and substantial interest in the matter, as confirmed by the court,” a company spokesperson said. “South Africa is currently reliant on energy imports for many of its energy needs. Should viable resources be found offshore, this could significantly contribute to South Africa’s energy security and the government’s economic development programs.”
Total’s South African unit expects to drill as many as seven wells in the Deep Western Orange Basin in waters about 211 km (131 mi) off the coastal town of Saldanha Bay, according to SLR Consulting, an independent environmental assessment company. A draft environmental assessment is available for public comment until Sept. 10.
Peter Huxham and Frik Potgieter, both South African nationals, were arrested on drug-trafficking charges in February 2023, days after a South African court ordered the seizure of one of Equatorial Guinean Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue’s yachts. The two incidents were linked, Bloomberg reported in April last year.
South Africa has proposed to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States over a 10-year period as the country looks to secure a trade deal with the Trump administration, a ministerial statement by the South African government has revealed. South Africa plans to import 75 to 100 million cubic metres of LNG per year from the U.S., the world’s top LNG exporter. According to Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, South Africa’s Minister in the Presidency, the deal would “unlock approximately $900 million to $1.2 billion in trade per annum and $9 billion – $12 billion for 10 years based on applicable price.” According to Ntshavheni, U.S. LNG will not replace South Africa’s current supplies but rather complement them.