CARACAS, Venezuela, November 10, 2026/APO Group/ –Chevron, Shell, bp and Qatar’s UCC Holding have confirmed senior executives for Venezuela Energy Week (VEW) 2027. Each of the four operators has advanced upstream investments through revised contractual terms and offshore gas licenses.

 




 
 

These companies are behind several of the largest upstream agreements signed in Venezuela this year, including expanded heavy oil development in the Orinoco Belt and new offshore gas licenses near Trinidad and Tobago.

Mariano Vela, Venezuela Country President at Chevron, and Javier La Rosa, President of Base Assets and Emerging Countries, join the lineup. In September, Chevron, the largest international producer in Venezuela, agreed updated terms for its three joint ventures with PDVSA and announced plans to invest more than $7 billion over five years, more than doubling joint venture output to around 600,000 barrels per day. The agreements added two greenfield areas in the Orinoco Belt to its Petroindependencia joint venture and followed an April asset swap that La Rosa said “reinforces our role in supporting regional energy security.”

Senior representatives from Shell have also joined the conference, including Adam Lowmass, Executive Vice President and Country Chair in Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela; Cederic Cremers, President of Integrated Gas; and Barbara Blakely, Head of Corporate Relations Latin America. In June, Venezuela awarded the company the license for the first phase of the offshore Loran field, which Shell is developing alongside its Manatee project across the maritime border in Trinidad and Tobago. Shell is also advancing the Dragon gas field to supply Trinidad’s Atlantic LNG plant, and has signed agreements to develop the Carito and Pirital production units in Monagas state.

Brian Davis, Vice President of Projects at bp, and Katy Henderson-Moses, Vice President of Subsurface at bp, both responsible for Latin America and the Caribbean, will join bp’s David Campbell in Caracas. bp is operator of the Loran Phase 2 license awarded in August and is developing the cross-border Cocuina-Manakin field, which it operates on the Trinidadian side. The company is a Gold Sponsor of VEW 2027.

Erik Keskula, Group CEO for Upstream at UCC Holding, has also been confirmed. UCC Oil and Gas, the Qatari group’s upstream subsidiary, holds an equal interest in Loran Phase 2 with bp and XRG, the international investment arm of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). “Loran is a material offshore gas resource in a region with established demand and existing regional processing capacity,” Keskula said when the award was announced. UCC has since said it is in talks to enter further oil and gas areas in Venezuela.

Over four days in Caracas, VEW 2027 will combine dedicated plenary sessions with technical tracks on infrastructure integration and digital field management. Panel discussions will address workforce development and the role of Venezuelan companies in new projects, including Youth in Energy sessions for early-career professionals. The landmark event closes on February 25 with site visits to Venezuela’s world-class upstream and downstream assets.

Organized by Energy Capital & Power and taking place under the patronage of Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, PDVSA and the Ministry of Hydrocarbons, Venezuela Energy Week 2027 will convene in Caracas on February 22–25.

To register, visit www.VenezuelaEnergyWeek.com.

JUBA, South Sudan, November 10, 2026/APO Group/ –Senior energy and government representatives from South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Djibouti will participate in a ministerial panel at South Sudan Oil & Power (SSOP) 2026, taking place November 24-25 in Juba. The discussion will focus on strengthening regional energy cooperation, advancing cross-border infrastructure and attracting investment into East Africa’s petroleum sector.

 




 
 

Titled Regional Cooperation, Investment and Energy Security, the panel will feature Awow Daniel Chuang, Minister of Petroleum of South Sudan; Monica Musenero Masanza, Minister of Energy and Mineral Development of Uganda; Silvester Kasuku, Advisor, Governance, Executive Office of the President, Kenya; and Wahib Ali Boulo, Director of Hydrocarbons, Djibouti.

Their participation comes as East Africa enters a new exploration and production cycle, backed by the start of upstream projects in Uganda and Kenya, a drive to strengthen cross-border trade by Djibouti and efforts to increase crude production in South Sudan. Regional cooperation is supporting these activities and SSOP 2026 will provide a platform to explore East Africa’s broader energy renaissance.

Minister Chuang joins the event as South Sudan opens its upstream market to international investors. Under efforts to raise production from 174,000 barrels per day (bpd) to around 230,000 bpd in the near term, the country is inviting investors to support brownfield development, accelerate exploration and expand refining capacity. Around 14 blocks are currently available.

Uganda is also promoting investment in exploration as the country prepares to start oil production from the Kingfisher and Tilenga oilfields in June 2027. The fields represent the country’s entry into commercial oil production. Crude will be exported via the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, currently 92% complete, which connects the fields to Tanzania’s Port of Tanga. To sustain upstream investment, the country also plans to launch a licensing round in 2026/2027.

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Kenya is preparing to join East Africa’s oil producers as the country prepares for first production from the South Lokichar Basin in December 2026. Developed by Gulf Energy, the project targets 20,000 bpd in its first phase and 50,000 bpd in its second. The project coincides with investments in the downstream sector. In late-September 2026, Nigeria’s Dangote Group launched construction activities at a 700,000-bpd refinery in Lamu. A South Sudanese delegation, led by Minister Chuang, attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

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As regional neighbors prepare for commercial oil production, Djibouti continues to strengthen its cross-border partnerships. The country signed an agreement with South Sudan in 2025 to develop the White Nile Trade Corridor, which aims to establish river and dry-port infrastructure in Juba, Bor, Malakal and Renk, connecting South Sudan to international trade routes through Djibouti. Boulo’s participation at SSOP 2026 creates new pathways for strengthened regional ties.

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Returning for its seventh edition under the theme Resource Renaissance – Energy-Fueled Growth for a New Generation, SSOP 2026 will provide a platform for policymakers, national oil companies, investors and infrastructure developers to examine how regional partnerships can strengthen energy security and accelerate project development.

For more information, visit www.SouthSudanOilPower.com.

DAKAR, Senegal, November 9, 2026/APO Group/ –Mohamed Ould Abdel Vetah, Mauritania’s newly appointed Minister of Energy and Petroleum, has confirmed his participation at MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 in Dakar. Minister Vetah was appointed on October 10 in a new 29-member government, having previously served as Minister of Petroleum, Energy and Mines from 2016 to 2020. His participation at the upcoming summit offers delegates direct engagement with the official responsible for Mauritania’s gas and power agenda as the country seeks to attract capital across its evolving energy and hydrocarbon sectors

 




  

Minister Vetah joins the event as Mauritania enters a new investment cycle anchored by efforts to scale gas monetization, incentivize exploration and open new opportunities in renewable energy and power development. The country has been an LNG exporter since early 2025, when the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) project, developed jointly with Senegal, shipped its first cargo. The project is now operating at full capacity, and gas is also set to anchor domestic power supply, with national utility Somelec and state miner SNIM having signed power purchase agreements with Saudi Arabia’s TAQA and Egypt’s GoGas Holding. The agreements fit within a gas-to-power program tied to the country’s Banda field and targeted for 2028.

 

Mauritania has committed to a fully private power generation model in which independent power producers develop all new plants, with two gas-fired projects in development expected to add a combined 550 MW to the grid. Renewables are scaling in parallel, led by a 220 MW solar-wind plant with 370 MWh of battery storage, developed under a 15-year concession with Somelec and slated to begin commercial production in the final quarter of 2026.

 

Minister Vetah’s career spans Mauritania’s gas sector and regional energy cooperation. During his previous term, Mauritania and Senegal signed the GTA gas sales agreement with bp and Kosmos Energy in 2020, and before entering government he served as General Manager of state gas company SOMAGAZ and as a consultant to TotalEnergies E&P Mauritania. Most recently, he spent nearly four years as High Commissioner of the Organization for the Development of the Senegal River.

 

Regional cooperation has been an early priority for the minister, who was received in Dakar by Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on October 16 and reaffirmed his commitment to cooperation between the two countries. At MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026, Minister Vetah will speak during the event’s Ministerial Dialogue, titled ‘Executing the MSGBC Region’s Energy Strategy’ and the Mauritania National Spotlight.

Organized by Energy Capital & Power, MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 takes place December 1-3 at the Centre International de Conférences Abdou Diouf (CICAD) in Dakar under the High Patronage of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. For more information and registration, visit www.MSGBCOilGasAndPower.com.