ANPG, the National Agency of Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels of Angola, has announced the winners of three concession awards from its 2019 bid round for hydrocarbon blocks in the Namibe and Benguela Basins
The three blocks awarded are 27, 28, and 29, and all three are located offshore in the deepwater Namibe Basin.
Global business information provider IHS Markit was selected by ANPG to facilitate the 2019 licensing round and related activities.
Sonangol, the national oil company of Angola, has been awarded a working interest of varying percentages in all three blocks, and is joined by others as operators or shareholders, including ENI, TOTAL, Equinor and BP.
Sonangol carries a 35 per cent interest in block 27. The remaining 65 per cent interest in block 27 remains open and is available for negotiation by other interested companies, ANPG said.
ENI was awarded operator rights for block 28, with a 60 per cent interest, followed by Sonangol, which will carry a 20 per cent interest, leaving 20 per cent open for negotiations by other interested parties. Block 29 was awarded to TOTAL as operator with a 46 per cent interest, followed by Equinor at 24.50 per cent interest, Sonangol at 20 per cent interest, and BP with a 9.5 per cent concession share.
ANPG said dates, venues and terms for negotiation sessions have not yet been set but will be announced soon.
The blocks awarded, which are all considered frontier, currently have no hydrocarbon production. A total of 10 frontier blocks were made available for concession in the 2019 round, which initiated with round presentations in fall 2019. Other blocks offered during the 2019 licensing round included 11, 12, 13, 41, 42 and 43 in the Namibe Basin, and block 10 in the Benguela Basin.
ANPG is the national concessionaire for Angola, which holds mineral rights for the exploration, development and production of liquid and gas hydrocarbons in the West African country.
