LUANDA, Oct 15 – Angola plans to accelerate oil and gas exploration licensing and open more than 100 exploration blocks under a proposed 25-year hydrocarbon strategy designed to attract investment and support long-term production.
The government intends to replace its multi-year auction rounds with a more flexible approach to awarding concessions, according to Alcides Andrade, a board member of the National Agency for Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels (ANPG), who spoke on the sidelines of an energy conference in Cape Town.
The proposed strategy is expected to be submitted for approval later this year. Once adopted, Angola plans to make more than 100 blocks available for exploration, primarily onshore, beginning as early as next year.
A central element of the reform is reducing the time required to award exploration concessions. ANPG aims to shorten the process from approximately six months to three months, allowing companies to move more quickly from evaluating opportunities to securing exploration rights.
Angola Moves to Tailor Exploration Terms
The proposed framework would also introduce a more differentiated approach to exploration agreements, with licensing conditions and commercial terms reflecting the risk profile of individual assets.
Rather than applying uniform requirements across the sector, the government intends to distinguish between mature or marginal fields, onshore opportunities and deep-water blocks.
The approach is designed to make less-developed or higher-risk assets more attractive to investors while accommodating the different costs and technical requirements associated with exploration across Angola’s petroleum industry.
Andrade said increasing exploration drilling would be important to improving production prospects over the longer term.
Investment Push to Sustain Oil Production
Angola currently produces approximately one million barrels of crude oil per day and is seeking to sustain output through renewed exploration and investment in its hydrocarbon resources.
The country, sub-Saharan Africa’s second-largest oil producer after Nigeria, has introduced regulatory changes in recent years to encourage investment and advance new projects.
International operators, including TotalEnergies and Eni, have committed billions of dollars to projects in Angola and the wider African energy market, reflecting continued interest in the country’s offshore resources.
The proposed 25-year strategy extends this investment drive by seeking to make exploration opportunities more accessible, reduce administrative delays and encourage additional drilling.
Its success will depend on whether faster licensing and more flexible concession terms translate into greater exploration activity, commercially viable discoveries and sufficient investment to offset the pressures facing Angola’s mature oil fields.
