According to State-run newspaper “Jornal de Angola,” Angola is making progress with the ongoing reform plans in the oil sector with the launching of tenders for works at the same time that the operator, Total, is about to commence the restart of offshore drilling.

The National Agency of Petroleum, Gas and Biofuel (ANPG) last week announced the opening of a public tender for the expansion of the national repository of exploration and production data. The work is to last for 12 months and registration is currently ongoing until September 18^th.

ANPG reportedly launched a tender for consultancy services to identify and improve mature fields. This will be executed in six months and bids are expected until September 21^st.

The tender for the expansion of the national repository is limited to only Angolan companies while the tender for consultancy services is open to both Angolan and international companies.

Last month, ANPG also launched a public notice of environmental inspection works that will last for 12 months, Bids for this are also expected until September 11^th.

Also, last month, ANPG carried out a transmission through which plans for onshore tenders were established, in the basins of the Lower Congo and Kwanza. The regulator is estimated to commence the licensing process in the fourth quarter of 2020.

The director of Total in Angola, Olivier Jouny, said the Skyros platform is back in operation at Block 32. Maersk Voyager is expected to have resumed work at the end of August. Total is focused on the development of wells in the short term and will avoid exploration wells that were planned for execution in 2020-21. To achieve this, the development of Begónia, in Block 17/06, and Chissonga, in Block 16, are being considered.

The production forecast for Angola on the average for 2020 is expected to fall below 1.4 million barrels per day. According to the regulator, production is expected to fall below 1 million barrels per day in 2025.