Asset briefing · Namibia
Mopane and Venus: the two projects that define the Orange Basin
What is being drilled, when decisions fall, and where technology and services will be needed — on one page.
Project
Mopane
Giant light-oil discovery, now in appraisal under a new operator.
Technical details
- Licence
- PEL 83, offshore Namibia
- Operator
- TotalEnergies (entry completed September 2026)
- Partners
- Galp, NAMCOR (state)
- Basin
- Orange Basin, Atlantic margin
- Water depth
- Deepwater (reported ~1,200 m)
- Resource estimate
- 800 million – 1.1 billion recoverable barrels
- Development concept
- FPSO, >200,000 barrels per day (first phase)
Timeline
2024
Discovery wells confirm light oil in multiple reservoirs
Sep 2026
TotalEnergies takes over as operator
H2 2026
First extension well of the appraisal campaign
2027
Two further appraisal wells
2028
Targeted final investment decision
Where technology and services fit
- Subsea production systems, umbilicals and flowlines
- Well construction, completion and stimulation
- Seabed survey and preparation
- Well integrity and intervention capacity for the field's life
Project
Venus
The basin's most advanced project, with a defined development concept.
Technical details
- Licence
- PEL 56 (Block 2913B), offshore Namibia
- Operator
- TotalEnergies
- Partners
- QatarEnergy, Impact Oil & Gas, NAMCOR (state)
- Basin
- Orange Basin, Atlantic margin
- Water depth
- Ultra-deepwater (reported ~3,000 m)
- Discovered resources
- Part of ~1.5 billion barrels reported across TotalEnergies' Namibian discoveries
- Development concept
- Subsea wells tied back to an FPSO
Timeline
2022
Discovery announced
2023–2025
Appraisal drilling and concept definition
2026
Engineering and commercial work toward FID
Next
Potential FID; first oil would follow on a multi-year build
Where technology and services fit
- Ultra-deepwater subsea equipment and installation
- Completion and reservoir technology for long, deep wells
- Rental and commissioning of specialist equipment
- Local content: skills, suppliers and Namibian execution
Request a meeting on Mopane or Venus
Operator, partner, government body or supplier: tell us where you sit in these projects. We'll come back within two working days to set up a call with the partner who follows the Orange Basin.
Based on public operator statements and press reporting as of October 2026. Figures are estimates and may change.