Chevron has completed seismic data acquisition for Blocks 49 and 50 in Angola and is now advancing towards the data processing stage. The development follows the signing of a Risk Service Contract for the ultra-deepwater blocks in 2024, reflecting the company’s commitment to driving offshore exploration in the country.
Speaking during an Invest in Angola Energies discussion – sponsored by the ANPG, Sonangol and Azule Energy – at African Energy Week: Invest in African Energies 2025, Frank Cassulo, Managing Director, Southern Africa Strategic Business Unit, Chevron, emphasized that “We are confident that we have brought together the best technical talent to bring these blocks to development. We have shot our seismic and are processing data currently.”
The development comes as Angola’s operators work towards sustaining production above one million barrels per day (bpd). Various project milestones have been reached in recent months, all of which contribute to this goal.
Azule Energy is making strides towards enhancing Angolan crude production with plans to invest $5 billion in Angola over the next several years. The company started production at the Agogo FPSO in 2025, bolstering output at the Agogo Integrated West Hub Development to 175,000 bpd. Azule Energy has now set its sights on the next phase, comprising the disconnection of the Ngoma FPSO to reduce operational costs and enhance efficiency.
“What has been key for the delivery of this project is implementing flexibility. Our goal was to reduce the chain of command to become more flexible and efficient in making decisions. Another aspect was choosing the right partner,” shared Adriano Monghini, CEO, Azule Energy.
TotalEnergies continues to anchor Angola’s offshore expansion. The company brought two projects totaling 60,000 bpd online in 2025, reflecting its commitment to offshore production. Looking ahead, the company plans to drill one exploration wells annually in the country while advancing key developments. These include the Dalia Life Extension project – which will benefit from a $3 billion investment by TotalEnergies – and the $6 billion Kaminho project.
According to Martin Deffontaines, Country Manager: Angola, TotalEnergies, “Kaminho has progressed 55%, with production targeted for 2028. The project is on track and it will be TotalEnergies’ seventh FPSO in the country.”
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Sonangol is also driving production. Ndjamila Africano, Project Manager, Sonangol, explained that he company “has a mandate to run a profitable upstream business that contributes towards national development. It’s all about partnerships.”
Looking ahead, Angola plans to launch its next licensing round in 2025. To support this, the country is embarking on an ambitious seismic data program, which aims to de-risk exploration through accessible data. According to Chris Drage, Vice President Eastern Hemisphere, TGS, “It all comes down to speed and how we can work with clients to enable them to access information quickly. We have invested over $600 million in multi-client data in Angola. This is a large dataset and we are working to reimage that data.”
Katrina Fisher, Country Manager: Angola, ExxonMobil – one of the country’s biggest producers – echoed these remarks. She said: “ExxonMobil has driven long-term investments and long-term projects in Angola. Access to data and to the information that we need to make decisions is important. Regulatory security and strong processes help us invest.”
SLB is supporting Angola’s upstream with digital services, reservoir characterization and low-carbon technologies. The company’s solutions are advancing efficiency while enabling Angola to meet sustainability targets. Miguel Baptista, Managing Director, Central, East and South Africa, SLB, underscored the role of technology, stating that “Low carbon technology is the cornerstone of what we are doing. We wanted to assess how we can maximize ever drop of resources in the ground.”
Meanwhile, Cabship continues to strengthen Angola’s logistics sector. With 16 years of operations, the company continues to expand offshore support and diving services. Luis Da Silva, General Manager, CABSHIP, shared that “Cabship positions itself as a local partner that can give support the supply chains of major operators. Everything we do is system-driven.”