TotalEnergies is an international integrated energy company on a mission to develop its energy portfolio spanning from oil to biofuels, natural gas, green gases, renewables and even electricity. With more than 100,000 employees across its 120 countries of operation, TotalEnergies works to strategically develop vital energy resources to ensure that people across the world have access to reliable, affordable and more sustainable energy options. A key area for development in recent months has been in Angola, where TotalEnergies has a diversified portfolio of deep offshore operated assets which account for almost 50% of the country’s oil production. The global giant has set out on a range of partnerships with leading local and international energy brands to bring the offshore potential of Angola into economic benefits.
The Kwana Basin in Angola is home to rich and economically lucrative hydrocarbons which are vital for the production of petroleum. The basin is the first to have undergone vital exploration and development, and so has played a vital role in the continued expansion of the energy sector for Angola and the surrounding countries of west southern Africa. Across this area, TotalEnergies operates several deep and ultra-deep offshore oil licences in production, including Block 17 containing 4 major oil fields including the Girassol, Dalia, Paxflor and CLOV which combined have developed the block into a thriving hub for Angola under TotalEnergies. Other key development includes Block 32 with the Kaombo Development, and Blocks 0, 14 and 14K. All of these operations take place across the Lower Congo Basin and Kwanza Basin.
The Kaombo project in Block 32 is an innovative ultra-deepwater offshore project in Angola spanning the Gengibre, Gindungo, Caril, Canela, Mostarda, and Louro oil fields. The project, in which TotalEnergies has a 30% stake, is unique and complex as its operations take place in water depths of up to 1950 metres, and so is subject to extreme temperature and pressure conditions. This requires a specialised type of technology to achieve, however, the entire project aligns with TotalEnergies’ strategy of developing ultra-deep offshore projects. The project’s reserves are estimated to produce 658 million barrels, with 230,000 barrels per day capacity. However, to access all of the oil deposits across the 6 fields under the project it required TotalEnergies to install 59 wells. These wells make it one of the largest subsea well systems in Angola, and a great technical achievement for TotalEnergies.
To manage the capacity and control the cost of the operations, TotalEnergies built two new floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels; Kaombo Norte and Kaombo Sul. Production began from Kaombo Norte in 2018 across the Gengibre, Gindungo and Caril fields, with Kaombo Sul producing oil just eight months later from the remaining Canela, Mostarda and Louro fields. Each vessel can produce 115,000 barrels per day and continues to develop the oil industry for Angola every day.
A recent development for TotalEnergies in Angola is the Kaminho Project which is the first large deepwater development to take place in the Kwanza Basin. The project will take place in Block 20/11 to develop the Cameia and Golfinho fields which are located just 100km off the coast of Angola at a depth of 1700 metres. The project just saw a Final Investment Decision announced between TotalEnergies (40%), Petronas (40%) and Sonangol (20%). The project would see a very large crude carrier (VLCC) converted to a FPSO to be connected to the two oil fields. However, the FPSO has been designed to be sustainable, with its role to process large capacities of oil underpinned by a system which would minimise greenhouse gas emissions and eliminate routine flaring throughout the operations. The project is expected to start production in 2028 and deliver a plateau of 70,000 barrels of oil per day from the oil fields onboard the FPSO.
However, the development of the Kaminho project will do so much more than just deliver significant oil potential for the region, instead, it will bring with it significant employment with over 10 million man-hours of construction and development needed to get the project running. This will provide significant employment and business opportunities to local people and yards across the country and add economic benefits to those in Angola in the process.
Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, Patrick Pouyanné, highlighted in the press release that “Building on our pioneering spirit and our long-term partnership with Angola, we are pleased to launch the Kaminho project along with our strategic partners, Sonangol and Petronas, and with the strong support and confidence of the Angolan authorities. This project, which leverages innovation to fit our investment criteria – breakeven under 30 $/b and carbon intensity of 16kg CO2 – will become our seventh FPSO in the country and the first to ever develop in the Kwanza Basin”. Pouyanné’s comments here highlight the vast and expansive role the project will play in Angola, and the first of its kind to develop in this rich deposit basin. Its strategic partnerships with these other giant energy companies signify a joint commitment to developing the energy industry towards a future of accessible and reliable energy access.
However, Pouyanné continues “We look forward to joining forces with Sonangol in technology to promote innovation and low-carbon technology for the energy industry in Angola, in particular to slash methane emission and contribute to the diversification of Angola’s energy mix”. Here Pouyanné highlights the push towards sustainability that underpins all operations facilitated by TotalEnergies. Throughout every operation, the company is focused on delivering energy facilities in the most sustainable way possible, and here in Angola, this is the same with the strategic signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Sonangol EP. Sonangol will share its expertise in research and technology in order to deliver the FPSO for the project that focuses on decarbonizing the oil and gas industry. In particular, the pair will focus on reducing methane emissions and developing renewable energies to continue to develop the Kaminho project and Angola’s energy industry towards a sustainable future.
TotalEnergies EP Angola has spent the last 70 years developing Angola’s energy industry towards a sustainable and economically viable future thanks to its work to develop the upstream oil and gas industry. With multiple key offshore licenses across the coast of Angola, TotalEnergies has formed itself as a leading offshore operator in the country and along the African coastline. As it continues to work towards a future where sustainability and energy security can go hand in hand, TotalEnergies continues to expand Angola’s oil and gas industry with the help of strategic partners and its teams of employees across the country.
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