Angola has increased its crude oil production capacity by 60,000 barrels per day following the launch of two new offshore projects, the National Oil, Gas, and Biofuels Agency (ANPG) announced on Wednesday.
The development is part of ongoing efforts to stabilize the country’s declining oil output, which has dropped significantly from its 2008 peak of around 2 million barrels per day due to ageing oil fields.
Despite being Africa’s second-largest oil producer after Nigeria, Angola has faced production challenges in recent years.
In response, the government has revised its oil and gas regulatory framework to attract investment. President João Lourenço last year signed into law new incentives aimed at expanding production from offshore blocks. These reforms came after Angola’s exit from OPEC following disputes over output quotas.
The newly operational CLOV Phase 3 and BEGONIA projects will each contribute 30,000 barrels per day.
CLOV 3, located in Block 17, is tied to an existing Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, helping to maintain national production above the 1 million bpd threshold.
“This is good news for the country. First oil is always very important,” said Paulino Jerónimo, Chairman of ANPG.
BEGONIA, situated about 150 kilometres off the coast, is Angola’s first inter-block subsea development, linking Blocks 17 and 17/06. It utilizes the Pazflor FPSO and represents a new phase in offshore collaboration and efficiency.
“We will produce oil from one block using existing facilities from another,” said Martin Deffontaines, General Manager of TotalEnergies Angola.
Block 17 is operated by TotalEnergies (38%), alongside partners Equinor (22.16%), ExxonMobil (19%), Azule Energy (15.84%), and Sonangol E&P (5%).
The successful start-up of these projects underscores Angola’s commitment to reviving its oil industry and attracting foreign investment in its energy sector.
Image Credit: ZAWYA
