The province of Namibe will have the first research well for oil drilling, in block 30, starting next year, a milestone that will put the province on the exploration route for this hydrocarbon, the Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas said yesterday. , Diamantino Azevedo
To this end, according to the minister, the National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG) signed three service contracts with ExxonMobil for blocks 30, 44 and 45.
Diamantino Azevedo, who spoke during the first workshop on “Mining and Oil Exploration in Namibe”, highlighted that Geology and Geophysics studies are underway in the aforementioned blocks, the results of which will allow for a deeper understanding of the oil potential of the Namibe Basin.
“If this well proves to be commercial, the Namibe basin will be more attractive, attracting more investments for the exploration and production of hydrocarbons and opportunities will arise for local content companies to provide goods and services to the oil industry”, he explained.
Namibe is known for having a dynamic fishing industry that is vitally important to its economy and the livelihood of its populations.
For this reason, there has been some concern regarding the cohabitation between fishing and oil activities.
However, Diamantino Azevedo cautioned shipowners, explaining that the oil industry operates with the most modern exploration and production technologies available on the market, providing its operations with high levels of efficiency and safety, which ensure that adverse impacts on the environment are considerably minimized.
Employment for youth
Minister Diamantino Azevedo said that more than 80% of national oil production comes from mature oil fields and says it is necessary to make investments in the sector to increase exploration, aiming to replace the reserves produced and mitigate the decline in production.
He highlighted that, in case of success in exploration activities, the Namibe basin will play an important role in achieving these objectives.
The official admitted that the oil sector is capital intensive and requires a high level of demand, especially when it comes to activities carried out in deep and ultra-deep waters, as is the case with the blocks in the Namibe basin.
For the holder of the Mineral Resources and Petroleum portfolio, the development of mining and oil activities in the province of Namibe should also create new job opportunities for youth and the participation of local businesses, requiring a different approach to the development of human capital , local content companies and corporate social responsibility.
“Operators in the sector must be concerned with increasing the qualification level of their national workforce and providing them with conditions to develop their professional careers”, he reiterated.
He also said that the specific actions of each sub-sector must take place in an environment of sustainability and include concern for improving the living conditions of communities adjacent to the areas where exploration projects are implemented, always in accordance with current legislation.
As part of the Petroleum Concession Allocation Strategy 2019-2025, nine blocks in the Namibe basin were tendered in 2019, of which three were awarded, namely block 27, operated by Sonangol, block 28, by Azule Energy, and block 29, by Total Energies.
The activity carried out by the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas and the Government of the Province of Namibe is part of the Executive’s strategy to promote the potential of mineral resources, oil and gas existing in that province, to attract investments.