Angola’s ANPG moves to make 2020 bid round more transparent

Angola’s National Agency for Oil, Gas and Biofuels (ANPG) now allows those interested in partaking in the ongoing 2020 licensing round for oil blocks in the onshore Kwanza and Lower Congo Basins to consult the available data packages before purchasing them. The ANPG hopes this will increase transparency in the process, as intended by the governing legal framework. It will ensure that qualified participants engage with the necessary confidence needed to start the process and secure agreements at the end of the process. This will significantly reduce the risk of companies entering the process with many uncertainties. Interested companies simply need to register their interest with the ANPG either via letter or email, requesting a free data consultation session. The session can either be provided virtually or in person.

The ongoing licensing round is in line with Presidential Decree 52/19, which foresees yearly bid rounds until 2025. Angola’s regulator, the ANPG, is intent on attracting interest far beyond the traditional players in Angola’s oil and gas sector. Special attention has been given to attract mid-sized explorers to Angola’s basins that have proven prolific in recent years and provided returns for companies far beyond industry averages in other locations. Six licenses onshore Kwanza Basin and three licenses onshore Lower Congo Basin are currently on offer for this round. The governing Presidential Decree 52/19 also specifies that the blocks will be awarded by public tender, restricted public tender and direct negotiation with clear timelines put in place.

The data available will provide a solid basis upon which models will be built to understand the oil and gas potential of the blocks on offer. Having access to the data packages, which include the most relevant and essential information on the areas of interest, will help potential explorers prepare their proposals and their future strategy for the exploration and development of these concessions. Two data packages are currently available, each representing an onshore Basin on offer:

The ongoing licensing round is in line with Presidential Decree 52/19, which foresees yearly bid rounds until 2025

1. The Lower Congo onshore basin, where three (3) Blocks are on offer, namely CON 1, 5 and 6.

This package comprises the information obtained below that also covers the adjacent Blocks:

• Geological information regarding the 24 wells of the 3 blocks to be bid and the remaining 33 wells of the adjacent blocks, constituting additional information
• 14 study reports detailing the stratigraphy, the structural component and the area’s prospectiveness
• Accessibility study (atlas)
• Georeferenced information (maps)
• Legal / Juridical information

1. The Kwanza Land Basin Data Package, where six (6) are on offer, namely KON 5, 6, 8, 9, 17 and 20, also does not contain only the data on blocks to be bid on, but also includes information from adjacent Blocks belonging to this Basin.

This second and final package comprises the information detailed below that also covers the adjacent Blocks.

• Geological information (reports and logs) of 47 wells, of which 36 belong to the blocks on offer and 11 wells belonging to the neighboring blocks.
• 13 abandonment reports from the main fields in the basin
• Seismic data (Vintage Seismic)
• Accessibility study (atlas)
• Georeferenced information (maps)
• Legal / Juridical information