Namibia Tempers Oil Expectations After Recent Drilling Campaigns

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Namibia Tempers Oil Expectations After Recent Drilling Campaigns

Namibia is taking a more cautious view on its long-term oil prospects after the latest exploration wells failed to add to a string of discoveries that started about three years ago. Chevron Corp. and TotalEnergies SE are among explorers that reported drilling duds in recent months, while Galp Energia SGPS SA and Rhino Resources this week each […]

Namibia is taking a more cautious view on its long-term oil prospects after the latest exploration wells failed to add to a string of discoveries that started about three years ago.

Chevron Corp. and TotalEnergies SE are among explorers that reported drilling duds in recent months, while Galp Energia SGPS SA and Rhino Resources this week each said they’re studying the results of their own campaigns. Last month, Shell Plc said it wrote off about $400 million of non-viable wells.

When TotalEnergies and Shell made offshore discoveries there in 2022, the sparsely populated African country aspired to develop its resources quickly before a global energy transition lowers demand for crude. But recent results from offshore fields have brought on a more measured view, and central bank Governor Johannes !Gawaxab says expectations should be dialed back.

“I think the hype was too high, right?” !Gawaxab said last week. “So we need to lower expectations and wait until we have got a final investment decision made by one of the oil majors that they’re going to develop the fields.”

Still, TotalEnergies expects to drill additional wells through next year when it plans to make a final investment decision on its Venus project that would produce 150,000 barrels a day, Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanne said earlier this month in an earnings presentation. Other explorers with blocks have outlined more activity.

“The continued commitment of industry players to the Namibian offshore sector is a strong signal that exploration efforts will persist, with the potential for further discoveries in the near future,” Namibia’s state-owned oil company Namcor said in response to questions. “Exploration is an inherently high-risk, high-reward activity.”

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ICYMI: Secretary Wright Powers up American Energy at CERAWeek & the Houston Rodeo

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Petronas Is Evaluating Exit From Argentina Shale Oil Venture

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Crude Edges Higher After Seven Weeks of Declines

Oil snapped a seven-week losing streak as US equity markets rebounded and peace talks between Russia and Ukraine stalled, damping expectations that Moscow’s crude will return to the market soon. West Texas Intermediate rose almost 1% to settle above $67 a barrel, supported by a weaker dollar and an advance in US equities. Brent climbed to settle below $71. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region should lay down their arms, and Ukraine pushed back on the request, raising doubts about how soon a ceasefire could be achieved. US crude eked out a 0.2% gain for the week, barely skirting an eighth straight weekly decline that would have been its longest such losing streak since 2015. US President Donald Trump’s salvos against the country’s major trading partners have weighed on crude prices since mid-January, raising the prospect of sputtering economic growth and falling oil consumption. Long-term inflation expectations jumped by the most since 1993, painting a gloomy picture for future energy demand. US crude earlier rose as much as 1.4% after the White House imposed sanctions on Iran’s oil minister and on more companies and vessels used by the OPEC member, while also restricting payment options for Russian energy, before paring the gains. Still, the ceasefire negotiations unfolding between Russia and Ukraine, as well as macroeconomic risk, are holding traders’ attention for now, said Rebecca Babin, senior energy trader at CIBC Private Wealth Group. The sanctions developments are “all just words until they’re enforced, so the market is less reactive to the headlines recently,” Babin said. The potential return of Russian barrels comes amid projections the market already is headed for an oversupply. The IEA forecasts the global supply surplus is set to deepen as an escalating trade war pressures demand at the same time that

Qatar Supplies Syria With Natural Gas in Latest Post-Assad Boost

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Podcast: On the Frontier of Modular Edge AI Data Centers with Flexnode’s Andrew Lindsey

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Amid Shifting Regional Data Center Policies, Iron Mountain and DC Blox Both Expand in Virginia’s Henrico County

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Microsoft will invest $80B in AI data centers in fiscal 2025

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John Deere unveils more autonomous farm machines to address skill labor shortage

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OpenAI’s red teaming innovations define new essentials for security leaders in the AI era

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Launching your first AI project with a grain of RICE: Weighing reach, impact, confidence and effort to create your roadmap

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