Eleven Deals Advance Angola’s Investment Pipeline

Eleven agreements were formalized during AOG 2026, spanning new acreage, mature-field investment, financing, gas-based industry and emissions reduction. Angola’s National Oil, Gas & Biofuels Agency (ANPG) signed agreements with international oil companies covering deepwater Blocks 19, 34 and 35; Blocks 8 and 22; Block 33/24; Blocks 17/25 and 32/21; and further investment in Block 32. Agreements also supported incremental production at Blocks 15 and 31, financing for Etu Energias’ expansion at Block 14 and the social responsibility component of Amufert’s planned $2 billion Soyo fertilizer complex.

Exploration Moves to the Forefront

The ANPG set a target of at least 10 wells annually as Angola seeks to rebuild its exploration pipeline and offset mature-field decline. Shell pledged to pursue exploration aggressively following three agreements signed at AOG. Corcel is also considering a mid-2027 exploration well at KON-16 in the onshore Kwanza Basin following completion of a 326-line-km 2D seismic campaign.

TotalEnergies, Chevron Double Down

Existing operators used AOG to reaffirm long-term investment. TotalEnergies announced plans to invest $10 billion alongside project partners across its Angolan portfolio over the next five years, while further investment at Dalia could unlock up to 400 million barrels under Angola’s incremental-production framework. Chevron plans additional investment in Block 0 following the concession’s extension to 2050.

Pertamina, Panoro Eye Angola Entry

AOG also brought indications of new international participation. Indonesia’s Pertamina announced plans to pursue an upstream operator role in Angola. Panoro Energy, meanwhile, is assessing opportunities across Angola’s onshore, offshore, frontier and brownfield segments. Senior Advisor Tim O’Hanlon said that “it won’t be long before we are in Angola,” highlighting favorable fiscal terms and increasing competition.

Pre-Conference Sets Investment Agenda

AOG 2026 began with a dedicated pre-conference program focused on Angola’s next phase of oil and gas development. Workshops and technical discussions examined gas infrastructure, downstream markets, exploration technology and investment opportunities, setting the stage for the commitments announced during the main conference.

Gas and Refining Shift Toward Domestic Value Creation

Angola’s Gas Master Plan emerged as a major industrialization platform, targeting approximately $13 billion in midstream and downstream investment across five hubs. Downstream expansion is advancing in parallel. Angola is targeting 425,000 barrels per day of refining capacity across Luanda, Cabinda, Lobito and Soyo as it seeks to reduce a refined-product import bill that reached approximately $1.96 billion in the first half of 2026.

AOG Recognizes Industry and Emerging Talent

The AOG Awards recognized achievements across the value chain, with Azule Energy named Game Changer of the Year, Sonangol Explorer of the Year, Etu Energias Local Company of the Year and the Cabinda Refinery Downstream Player of the Year. Aníbal Octávio Teixeira da Silva received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Four female students – Abigail Francisco Boa, Chana Lisboa, Genilda Ricardo and Madalena Yanesa Ramos Neto – also received the Albina Faria de Assis Pereira Africano Scholarship, which provides financial support to leading female entrants to Angola’s National Petroleum Institute.

ANPG Expands Investor Access

The ANPG took another step toward improving the investment environment, launching an upgraded website featuring AI-powered search and a dedicated investor space. The platform provides greater access to industry data, investment opportunities and ANPG teams, supporting faster communication between the regulator and prospective investors.

Exhibition Connects Industry Players

Alongside the conference, the AOG 2026 exhibition brought together operators, service companies, technology providers and government institutions, providing a platform to showcase projects, capabilities and investment opportunities across Angola’s oil and gas value chain.

For South Africa’s mines, manufacturers, smelters and other large power users, significant challenges remain. Grid capacity, rising operating costs, renewable energy integration, power quality and the financing of alternative energy solutions are increasingly influencing investment and operational decisions.

These issues will take centre stage at the EIUG Conference, taking place 28–29 October 2026 at The Maslow Hotel, Sandton, Johannesburg, focused on the challenges and opportunities facing South Africa’s energy-intensive users.

The next industrial energy challenge

Large energy users are already changing how they source power. Seriti Green’s 155 MW Ummbila Emoyeni wind farm, which began commercial operations in July 2026, is supplying Seriti’s mining operations through wheeling, illustrating how industrial users are increasingly combining grid electricity with private renewable generation.

At the same time, transmission capacity is becoming critical as more generation connects to the system. Recent collaboration between the Development Bank of Southern Africa and National Transmission Company South Africa is aimed at accelerating investment in South Africa’s transmission network.

The EIUG Conference programme reflects these changing priorities.

The session “Industrialisation Under Threat?” will examine whether current energy and market conditions are supporting or constraining South Africa’s mining, manufacturing and smelting sectors, including the impact of energy costs, self-generation and changing industrial demand.

A dedicated Grid Security discussion will explore ageing infrastructure, renewable penetration, frequency stability, voltage fluctuations and the roles of NTCSA, Eskom, municipalities and industry in maintaining a reliable electricity system.

Delegates will also explore renewable energy integration for heavy industry, including how solar, wind and hybrid energy systems can support the continuous power requirements of mining, manufacturing, metals and cement operations.

Financing these changes will be equally important. The programme’s Finance for Transition Masterclass will cover financing models, de-risking, storage economics and investment in industrial decarbonisation projects.

From energy security to competitiveness

South Africa’s improved electricity availability is an important milestone, but the next measure of success will be whether the country can turn a changing energy system into stronger industrial growth.

The EIUG Conference will bring together industrial energy users, policymakers, utilities, financiers and technology providers to examine what South Africa’s next phase of the energy transition means for the businesses that power its economy.

The question is no longer only whether South Africa can keep the lights on, but whether its energy system can keep its industries competitive.

Event details

EIUG Conference 2026
28–29 October 2026
The Maslow Hotel, Sandton, Johannesburg

Ashley Ndir, Principal Commercial Officer with the U.S. Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce/International Trade Administration, and Raúl Santiago Ailán, Head of Mission and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at the Embassy of Argentina in South Africa, have joined the conference, signaling growing international interest in Africa’s mining opportunities.

Ndir will join the U.S.–Africa Roundtable on Advancing Local Beneficiation and Standardizing ESG Frameworks. Drawing on her role in expanding American market opportunities and economic partnerships, Ndir is expected to bring a commercial diplomacy perspective to discussions on U.S.–Africa market integration.

Her participation comes as the U.S. advances its African mining strategy, centered on facilitating investment in mineral development and exports. Through agencies like the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the U.S. Export–Import Bank and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency alongside private industry, the U.S. continues to back major project development across key mining jurisdictions, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Nigeria.

Meanwhile, Ailán joins the conference at a time when Argentina is accelerating its own mining expansion. The country is a major lithium producer and is seeking to expand copper development, while African mineral producers are similarly working to attract investment into exploration, processing and supporting infrastructure. This creates scope for greater cooperation between African and Latin American mining jurisdictions across investment, technical expertise and mineral development.

Ailán will join the panel discussion on Realigning National and International Goals to Advance Global Investment in Africa’s Value Chain. The session will examine how national development priorities can be aligned with international investment requirements to support greater value addition.

Under the theme Mining the Future: Unearthing Africa’s Full Mineral Value, AMW 2026 will bring together governments, investors, mining companies and international partners to advance investment across mineral exploration, production, processing and supporting infrastructure. The event offers a strategic international forum to foster engagement, strengthen mineral ties and advance development in Africa and across international markets.