PEL 79 sits adjacent to an emerging microregional dynamic focused on oil-weighted prospectivity. (Image source: Sintana Energy))

The Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy for the Republic of Namibia has approved a second renewal exploration period with a 12-month extension for the petroleum exploration license 79 (PEL79) that includes blocks 2815 and 2915 located in Namibia's Orange Basin

The PEL 79  is operated by the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia Ltd (Namcor) with a 67% interest, while Giraffe Energy Investments -- an entity in which Sintana maintains a 49% ownership interest -- owns a 33% share on the license.

Sitting inboard of licenses operated by BW Energy, Rhino Reosurces, and Shell, PEL 79 promises incredible prospects with an existing prospect inventory underpinned by more than 4760 km of 2D seismic, 1,137 sq km of 3D seismic and 1 well with gas shows intersecting the Kudu source rock.

To top that, PEL 79 sits adjacent to an emerging microregional dynamic focused on oil-weighted prospectivity.

Right outboard to the west of PEL79, the license operator, Rhino Resources, has drilled two wells, including the Capricornus-1X discovery well, that reflected a flow test exceeding 11,000 barrels per day of light oil with limited associated gas from a 38-metre net oil-bearing reservoir. The third quarter of the year will see the commencement of further drilling activity, targeting the Volans prospect, with up to two optional wells that could include appraisals.

BW Energy has acquired 4,600 sq km of new 3D seismic over PEL 3, located directly west of PEL 79, and has moved to initiate an exploration and appraisal campaign including drilling the Kharas well located northwest of Kudu during H2 2025.

“We appreciate the leadership by our joint venture partner NAMCOR to secure the extension for PEL 79. Extending our exposure during a period of significant offset activity positions us to fully realise the significant geologic, commercial, and strategic value of PEL 79,” said Robert Bose, chairman of Giraffe and chief executive officer of Sintana. “The potential for high impact progress on PEL 79 adds to the prospect for significant developments across our Namibian offshore portfolio. We expect material progress on all our licenses over the coming quarters,” he added.

Afentra recorded an overall revenue of US$52.0mn.

Africa-focused upstream oil and gas company, Afentra plc, has reached a gross average production of 21,350 bopd for the first half of 2025 

The company is on track with its multi-year redevelopment plan to boost recovery and production growth. The first half of the year saw continued ramp-up in water injection to reach an average of 35,000 barrels of water per day, so that a level of approximately 85,000 bwpd can be attained by the end of the year. The company, however, has recorded an excess of 100,000 bwpd of maximum injection rates in the first half of the year.

Afentra has reached enhanced production performance by conducting as many as 10 lightwell interventions. There was infrastructure upgrades across power systems, cranes, subsea lines and risers to enhance safety, reliability, uptime and protect future value.

The company is currently conducting platform surveys and access preparation so that rig mobilisation and drilling can be effectively achieved in 2026.

With the assurance of stable asset uptime, the company is on track to deliver US$180mn capital investment programme by the book. 

The first half of 2025 also saw Afentra's acquisition of an additional 5% net interest in Block 3/05 and 6.67% net interest in Block 3/05A. 

Another big highlight for the company during this period includes the onshore Kwanza basin growth plan. A risk service contract was initialed in the KON4 with operatorship and a 35% working interest. The blocks are known for its low-cost exploration potential, and one of them hosts the Quenguela Norte field, which is known to be the largest onshore discovery. 

The Kwanza licenses are currently subjected to technical and operational workstreams, as historic well data are being reviewed and early-stage subsurface workshops conducted. An eFTG acquisition over KON15 and KON4 is now awaited by Q3 2025 to support future 2D seismic planning and subsurface evaluation before exploration, development, and appraisal opportunities can be identified over the next 18 months. 

Afentra recorded an overall revenue of US$52.0mn. It has completed two crude oil liftings during the first half of the year, totalling to 0.7mn barrels, and expects lifting another five before the year ends.

"Afentra has continued to make strong progress in executing our value driven growth strategy, with the announced Etu transaction consolidating our position in Block 3/05 and the initialling of the KON4 RSC marking a further step forward in our onshore ambitions. The KON4 RSC marks an important step for Afentra, as it will be our first operated asset, a testament to our growing capabilities and a key step forward in our onshore ambitions. We continue to prioritise sound financial and risk management to ensure appropriate visibility on cash flow and the most recent cargo sale has moved Afentra into a strong net cash position. Combined with solid operational performance, material reserve replacement and strong asset cash generation, these milestones reinforce the strength of our portfolio and leave us well positioned to deliver further organic growth from our existing portfolio and pursue further value-accretive opportunities. The focus for the second half of the year will be continued operational progress across the portfolio and completion of the Etu and KON4 transactions as we continue to expand, diversify and strengthen Afentra's portfolio in Angola," said Paul McDade, chief executive officer, Afentra plc. 

Gabon is anticipated to produce close to 1 million barrels of oil per day.

Gabon is pushing for deepwater oil and gas exploration to bring new projects online, and restore production decline in Central and West Africa

The newly appointed Minister of Oil and Gas of Gabon, Sosthène Nguema Nguema, has announced the administration's interests in tapping into the country's deepwater acreage, 72% of which remains unexplored. To get this going, existing petroleum laws are being revised to introduce fresh incentives for deepwater exploration and interests. 

The Gabonese Government is leveraging the Gabon Oil Company for a stronger ownership role and commercialising legacy assets with takeovers such as that of Carlyle owned Assala. Now, with the promotion of deepwater exploration in a global scale, Gabon will not only see a boost in production count but also the development of a new hub for refined product distribution in Central Africa.

Gabon is anticipated to produce close to 1 million barrels of oil per day. As the country boasts of more than 2 bn barrels of proven oil reserves, its current objective is to maintain a production count above 220,000 barrels per day for the short to midterm. This will become a lot easier with the advancement of deepwater exploration. Regulatory reform represents a cornerstone of the country’s exploration strategy, with potential improvements to petroleum legislation set to strengthen the competitiveness of investing in Gabon’s deepwater blocks. In 2019, the country introduced its Hydrocarbons Code. The new government seeks to go even further, recognising the presence of stiff competition from other offshore destinations globally. The code featured amendments to production sharing contracts (PSC), state profitability and tax, therefore providing a quicker path to profitability for foreign operators. Looking ahead, further revisions of this code stand to support new investment, encouraging deepwater exploration and new forays by global operators.

Major players are already active in Gabon, with ongoing developments underscoring the potential available across Gabon’s offshore blocks. Exploration and production company BW Energy, for example, signed PSCs for exploration blocks Niosi Marin and Guduma Marin in 2024, covering an eight-year exploration period with a two-year extension option. BW Energy and its partner on the block VAALCO Energy have committed to drilling one well as well as carrying out a 3D seismic acquisition campaign. BW Energy also has stakes in the Dussafu license, which features 14 producing wells tied back to a FPSO through a 20km pipeline. Partners on the license include the state-owned Gabon Oil Company (GOC) and Panoro Energy. Independent oil and gas company Perenco spud the Hylia South West discovery in Gabon in early 2024, revealing substantial oil-bearing columns in the Ntchengue Ocean reservoir. Chinese oil firm CNOOC launched wildcat drilling on Blocks BC-9 and BCD-10 in early-2023 on the back of 1.4 billion barrels of recoverable resource potential, with future discoveries set to double Gabonese oil production while de-risking deepwater exploration. Despite these developments, much of Gabon’s deepwater potential remains underexplored, highlighting a strategic opportunity for both active and potential players.

Increased hydrocarbon production in tandem with future deepwater discoveries are expected to support Gabon’s broader goals of creating a regional petroleum hub in Gabon. Strategically positioned on the West coast of Central Africa, Gabon is making strides towards enhancing oil and gas refining, storage and distribution capacity. Major infrastructure projects signal the country’s intention to become a petroleum hub. Notably, Perenco is advancing the development of the Cap Lopez LNG terminal in Gabon, targeting first production by 2026. Situated at the existing Cap Lopez oil terminal, the $2 billion project will introduce a FLNG vessel designed to monetize offshore gas reserves and reduce flaring. The FLNG vessel will feature a production capacity of 700,000 tons of LNG and 25,000 tons of LPG, supported by a storage capacity of 137,000 cubic meters. The project complements the Batanga LPG facility, which came online in December 2023 with a target production capacity of 15,000 tons of LPG annually. Beyond LNG and LPG, Gabon is working towards enhancing refining capacity with plans to expand its sole operating refinery – SOGARA – from 1.2 million tons to 1.5 million tons of crude. This expansion would enable the country to achieve self-sufficiency in refined petroleum products by 2030.

The current yield at 90% is an improvement on 2024 results.

PetroNor E&P ASA has generated an average of 4,240 bopd net working interest production from its operations in the PNGF Sud field complex in Congo in the second quarter 

This stands against the 4,303 bopd in the previous quarter and 4,684 bopd in the second quarter of 2024. 

The current yield at 90% is an improvement on the 2024 average of 86%. Two workover crews are pursuing reinstatement of idle production from wells in the workover queue.

In the first half of the year, the company restocked the significant overlift position and is currently building entitlement oil inventory in anticipation of a lifting and sale in the fourth quarter.

Rig Axima has arrived on location, and drilling operations have commenced for the announced fivewell infill programme in Tchibouela East. This is expected to add significant new production capacity during the second half of the year.