TotalEnergies is an integrated energy company producing and marketing energy, with a portfolio of projects and assets that span the world. With this expertise in the global energy market, TotalEnergies is passionate about making energy more reliable, affordable and sustainable. A key place for TotalEnergies’ development in recent years has been in Namibia, where TotalEnergies has been operating since 1964. With its operations changing from primarily downstream retail, sale and storage of petroleum products, the company has spent the last few years developing a vital offshore exploration and production business, where it is now delivering significant energy projects that are supporting Namibia’s offshore energy development for the future.
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TotalEnergies has been operating in Namibia for over 60 years, with its initial operations under its affiliate TotalEnergies Marketing Namibia (pty) Ltd. Through this marketing brand, TotalEnergies significantly developed across Namibia, and it is now the 4th largest fuel distributor in the country. Today, under TotalEnergies Marketing Namibia, the company’s primary responsibilities include supplying service stations, small and large businesses, and the agriculture sector with petroleum products, whilst also supporting the mining industry with the supply of hydrocarbons to the country’s mines. However, in 2022, TotalEnergies branched into the exploration and production market with the introduction of TotalEnergies E&P Namibia, where it now has multiple key assets under its portfolio that are delivering vital hydrocarbons for the future. Speaking on TotalEnergies’ operations in Namibia, Laurent Roché, Country Chair TotalEnergies Namibia and General Manager for TotalEnergies EP Namibia, says, “At TotalEnergies, we are excited to be a part of Namibia’s journey to create value through the sustainable development of multiple energy sources. Together with society, we are committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, while aligning with Namibia’s socioeconomic development agenda”.
One of the most significant sites for Namibia’s exploration and production operations is in the Orange Basin, where significant deepwater discoveries and developments are in progress. The Orange Basin is a major global oil and gas hub, with recent high-impact discoveries made by many key players in the global energy sector. Many of the discoveries have revealed significant light oil and gas condensate resources, with key discovery sites such as Venus, Graff and Mopane leading to significant deepwater development across the basin.
In Namibia, TotalEnergies operates two primary offshore exploration licenses within the Orange Basin, which are Block 2912 and 2913B. Block 2913B spans approximately 8,215 square kilometres (km2), located in deep offshore Namibia in water depths of up to 3,000 meters. TotalEnergies is the operator with a 40% working interest, alongside QatarEnergy (30%), Impact Oil and Gas (20%) and NAMCOR (10%). However, in 2024, TotalEnergies acquired an additional 10.5% participating interest in Block 2913B, as well as an additional 9.39% participating interest in Block 2912. Furthermore, TotalEnergies holds a 42.5% participating interest in Block 2912, alongside QatarEnergy (33%), NAMCOR (15%) and Impact Oil and Gas (9.5%).
The Venus Discovery spans these two blocks and exemplifies a giant, high-quality light oil discovery that is one of the largest discoveries within Sub-Saharan Africa. The development is estimated to hold at least 3 billion barrels of oil, and once developed, will utilise a floating production storage and offloading unit (FPSO) to target a production of 150,000 to 180,000 barrels of oil per day. Currently, two appraisal wells have been completed, Venus-1A and Venus-2A, which have evaluated the field. The discovery is expected to reach a final investment decision by 2026, and once in production, it is expected to contribute significantly to Namibia’s economy, delivering vital hydrocarbon resources for the country.
In February 2025, TotalEnergies began drilling for the first of two planned oil prospects offshore Namibia within Block 2913B, north of the existing Venus development. The first well was the Tamboti-1x exploration well, which is described as having a 1-billion-barrel target. The drilling was carried out by semi-submersible rigs owned by Northern Ocean (NOL) and managed by Odfjell Drilling. The drilling rig has been working alongside TotalEnergies’s operation in Namibia since 2022. Alongside this, the Marula-1X exploration well was spudded and began drilling, but by April 2025, no hydrocarbons had been discovered.
The other significant discovery for TotalEnergies is the Mopane Discovery (PEL83), which covers almost 10,000 km2 of the Orange Basin. The discovery was first made in 2024 by Galp Energia (Galp), with the Mopane-1X well, which encountered significant light oil columns in good-quality reservoir sands at two different levels: Avo-1 and Avo-2. Two months later, Mopane-2X was drilled, which highlighted further light oil columns across the exploration and appraisal targets of Avo-3, Avo-1 and a deeper lying target. Galp estimated that the discovery could contain over 10 billion barrels of oil in place, with its further appraisals confirming the significant stacked reserves of the discovery.
However, in December 2025, TotalEnergies acquired a 40% operating stake in Mopane from Galp, and so the block is now operated by TotalEnergies (40%), Galp (40%), Namcor (10%), and Custos (10%). The agreement signed between Galp marked a big step for TotalEnergies’ operations, allowing it to enter into the prolific Mopane Discovery. As part of the agreement, TotalEnergies and Galp have agreed to launch an exploration and appraisal campaign, which spans three wells to be delivered over the next two years. The first well is planned to be delivered in 2026 and will further derisk resources and progress diligently towards the development of the Mopane Discovery.
Speaking on the acquisition from Galp, Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TotalEnergies, outlines that “We are very happy to have been selected by Galp as their partner and operator for the prolific PEL83 license, including the Mopane discovery in Namibia. This is a strong recognition of the exploration and deepwater competencies of TotalEnergies teams. This transaction demonstrates also the strong confidence of TotalEnergies towards Namibia as a future oil-producing country. TotalEnergies will leverage its recognised operatorship track record to progress towards profitable and sustainable developments of both Venus and Mopane discoveries. By enabling the creation of a producing hub in Namibia, we aim to achieve synergies that will create long-term value for both Namibia and the stakeholders”
Pouyanné’s comments highlight just how valuable the discovery and continued development of the Mopane discovery is, not just for the company, but for Namibia as a whole. The development is set to be one of the largest and most prolific oil developments in the region. This focus on expansion and development for TotalEnergies in Namibia helps it to keep building on its collaboration with the Namibian authorities and joint venture partners to enhance and develop the country’s energy developments towards the future.
This focus on development has continued into 2026, and in February, TotalEnergies signed an agreement to acquire a 42.5% operated interest in the PEL104 exploration license, located offshore Namibia. The acquisition was from Eight Offshore Investment Holdings (Eight) and Maravilla Oil and Gas. The licence spans 11,000km2 and is located within the Lüderitz basin, which is an under-explored offshore hydrocarbon basin located between the Walvis and Orange basins. The acquisition highlights TotalEnergies’ continued expansion into Namibia’s offshore hydrocarbon development.
Speaking on the agreement announcement, Nicolas Terraz, President of Exploration & Production at TotalEnergies, outlines, “After the acquisition in December of a 40% operated interest in PEL83 license, TotalEnergies further strengthens its position in Namibia by entering this new exploration license as operator. While progressing towards the development of Venus and Mopane discoveries, we are very pleased to expand our portfolio and continue exploring the prolific resources of Namibia, in order to unlock further value that will benefit the country and all stakeholders.” As Terraz highlights, the development is close to the existing Venus and Mopane developments, and so TotalEnergies can utilise its expertise in the areas of deepwater development to enhance the PEL104 licence and deliver even more vital resources for the Country.
Across Namibia, TotalEnergies is rapidly expanding the country’s hydrocarbon market along with key partners. As we have seen with its vital work across the Orange Basin, Total Energies is continuing to unlock the potential of the region, bringing its expertise across the global deepwater energy development sector and utilising this to enhance Namibia’s oil and gas sector through the vital Venus and Mopane developments. In turn, TotalEnergies’ projects will bring long-term economic benefits for the country for many years to come. As TotalEnergies continues to expand its operations, with new and exciting developments including those within the neighbouring Lüderitz basin, we look forward to seeing how TotalEnergies will continue to solidify Namibia’s place as a major global energy producer.
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