TotalEnergies’ Venus discovery is technically ready to move toward a Final Investment Decision, with negotiations on fiscal terms still underway. The project’s development concept targets around 150,000 barrels per day at peak production, with first oil potentially around 2030. FEED has been completed and major contractors selected, bringing Namibia’s first potential deepwater oil development closer to execution.

Meanwhile, the Orange Basin continues to attract major international players. TotalEnergies and Galp strengthened their positions across the Venus and Mopane discoveries in 2025, with TotalEnergies becoming operator of Mopane and Galp taking a participating interest in Venus. In August 2026, Equinor agreed to acquire a 17.4% stake in Chevron’s PEL 90, marking its first upstream entry into a new country since 2017. The block is expected to see another exploration well before the end of the year.

The scale of investment now being contemplated makes the question of local economic participation increasingly urgent. Namibia’s draft Local Content Policy identifies the development of national capabilities, employment, local procurement and stronger domestic value chains as central to ensuring that petroleum resources generate benefits beyond government revenues. The government has also highlighted technical training and partnerships with universities and industry as priorities for preparing Namibians for the emerging oil and gas sector.

For Namibia, this means moving beyond an export-led model in which capital, equipment and specialist expertise flow in and crude flows out. Developing local suppliers, financing Namibian businesses, building research and training hubs and creating opportunities for joint ventures could help establish capabilities that extend well beyond the life of individual oil projects. The opportunity spans engineering and fabrication, logistics, marine services, environmental management, digital technologies and other areas of the petroleum supply chain.

“The real measure of Namibia’s oil opportunity will not simply be how many barrels it produces, but how much economic value those barrels create at home,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “Namibia has a chance to build a competitive African energy industry around its discoveries – one that creates jobs, develops local companies, transfers technology and gives Namibians a meaningful stake in the country’s energy future.”

The session will look beyond first oil itself to the ecosystem required to sustain production and translate upstream investment into long-term industrial development. With Venus, Mopane and further Orange Basin exploration moving toward development, Namibia has an opportunity to establish the commercial partnerships, financing structures and technical capabilities needed to ensure its petroleum boom becomes an economy-wide growth story.

With Eskom’s 2026/27 tariff increase and continued reforms to the electricity market, businesses are increasingly looking beyond traditional electricity supply to wheeling, renewable PPAs, onsite generation, battery storage, energy efficiency and demand management.

The key question is no longer simply “How do we keep the lights on?” but “How do we secure reliable power while controlling costs and remaining competitive?”

That question will take centre stage at the C&I Energy + Storage Summit, taking place 28–29 October 2026 at The Maslow Hotel, Sandton, Johannesburg.

From energy security to business competitiveness

Under the theme “Business continuity through power security,” the summit will bring together commercial and industrial energy users, project developers, investors, financiers, utilities and policymakers to address the practical challenges shaping South Africa’s energy future.

The programme will examine the threats and opportunities facing South Africa’s industrial sector, including rising energy costs, electricity-market reform, decarbonisation and infrastructure constraints.

A key focus will be the growing commercial case for battery storage. The “Energy Storage Beyond Backup Power” session will explore how businesses can use storage for energy arbitrage, peak shaving, demand management, renewable-energy firming and improved power quality – moving batteries from a backup solution to a potential strategic investment.

Practical solutions for South African businesses

The summit will also look beyond new generation, exploring how businesses can reduce energy costs through energy efficiency, operational optimisation, demand response and digital energy management.

For heavy industry, a dedicated session will examine how mining, manufacturing, cement and metals companies can integrate solar, wind and hybrid energy systems while maintaining reliable operations and competitiveness.

The programme will also address one of the biggest challenges facing new energy projects: infrastructure and collaboration between businesses, municipalities and utilities. Discussions will cover shared infrastructure, wheeling agreements, network constraints and how businesses can engage more effectively with public-sector stakeholders.

The conversation has moved beyond keeping the lights on

South Africa’s energy transition is becoming a business strategy. With electricity-market reform, renewable procurement, wheeling and storage creating new opportunities, businesses need to understand not only where their power will come from, but how they can use energy strategically to reduce costs, manage risk and remain competitive.

“The energy transition is about more than adding megawatts; it is about building reliable, responsible energy systems that strengthen competitiveness and resilience,” said Grace Olukune, Head of Engineering at Eskom Green. “Businesses need solutions that combine renewable power, storage, efficiency and partnerships, while ensuring today’s infrastructure does not become tomorrow’s environmental challenge.”

The C&I Energy + Storage Summit 2026 is supported by a growing group of partners committed to advancing South Africa’s energy transition, including NOA Group as Gold Sponsor, Huawei as EIUG Gold Sponsor, Lyra Energy as EIUG Silver Sponsor, and Webber Wentzel, in alliance with Linklaters, as Bronze Water Security Africa Sponsor.

The C&I Energy + Storage Summit 2026 will bring those decision-makers together in Johannesburg to tackle these questions and explore what comes next for South Africa’s commercial and industrial energy market.

28–29 October 2026 | The Maslow Hotel, Sandton, Johannesburg

Aligning with AMW’s 2026 theme, “Mining the Future: Critical Resources, Sustainability and Community Development,” the delegation’s participation coincides with a surge of investment-led growth in Africa. Holding approximately 30% of the world’s mineral reserves, the continent has emerged as a strategic destination for long-term capital, driven by skyrocketing global demand for critical minerals in clean energy technologies, defense applications, and advanced manufacturing.

As the leading independent provider of information, analytics, and benchmark prices for the energy and commodities markets, S&P Global Energy will help shape key discussions on the market forces and exploration trends impacting this vital sector.

The S&P Global Energy executive delegation at AMW 2026 includes:

• Atul Arya, SVP and Chief Energy Strategist
• Rahul Kapoor, VP, Head of Shipping & Metals
• Vera Blei, Head of Platts
• Fernando Araya Burchard, Critical Minerals Lead
• William Mason, Associate Director, Mining Economics & Emissions
• Malick Diallo, Commercial Lead, EMEA & CIS

Key S&P Global Presentations and Insights: During the event, S&P Global experts will provide proprietary data on the commercial realities shaping mineral development through their panel moderations and presentations. For example:

• Dr. Atul Arya will moderate the Ministerial Panel “Regional Policy Alignment: Mining Code Reforms to Unlock Value.”  Rahul Kapoor will guide the conversations of panels, “The New Resource Contract: Balancing Sovereignty, Nationalism, and Investor Certainty” and “Unlocking Refining Investment.” 
• Transition Minerals and Capital Allocation: Fernando Araya Burchard will explore new opportunities across exploration, production, and mineral beneficiation. He will contextualize these trends against staggering demand forecasts—including a projected 350% increase in global lithium demand and a 130% rise in graphite demand by 2040—and discuss how African governments are leveraging international partnerships to expand capacity and modernize infrastructure.
• Bucking the Trend: Africa’s Decade-High Exploration Surge and the Rising Cost of Production: Despite possessing some of the world’s largest reserves of copper, cobalt, platinum group metals, lithium, and rare earth elements, Africa attracts less than 10% of global exploration expenditure. William Mason will unpack this untapped geological potential and the commercial realities of production costs.
• S&P Global Energy will host c-suite roundtable on critical issues facing the mining industry in Africa.

ADVANCING TRANSPARENCY IN CRITICAL MINERALS 

Africa’s central role in the energy transition benefits from transparent pricing and supply chain visibility. Aiding the market’s need for such transparency, S&P Global Energy’s Platts recently launched a set of spot market price assessments for rare earth elements: first-of-their-kind, for mine-to-industry “alternative supply chains (https://apo-opa.co/3T4yhCT),” reflecting  prices of refined materials originating from Angola, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and other nations and China rare earth elements (https://apo-opa.co/45ZaGq9), on a free-on-board basis.

Additionally, S&P Global recently published independent reports on Tungsten (https://apo-opa.co/4iD8j3I), Antimony (https://apo-opa.co/4y62qAv), NdPr (https://apo-opa.co/4zI0Bvv), Gallium (https://apo-opa.co/4gHzlEI), and Germanium (https://apo-opa.co/46hrusJ). These reports aim to advance market transparency and foster dialogue among producers, processors, consumers, investors, and policymakers regarding supply chains that are essential to defense, semiconductors, aviation, and other strategic global industries.

Dr. Arya spoke with African Mining Week highlighting the importance of Africa’s mineral wealth and opportunities for African nations and companies: “Global Mineral Race Positions African Producers as Active “Price Setters”, Says S&P Global Energy (https://apo-opa.co/4y8xcZz).”

Organized by Energy Capital & Power, African Mining Week runs alongside the African Energy Week: Invest in African Energies 2026 conference (October 12-16 in Cape Town), where S&P Global Energy is an Emerald Sponsor and will also feature an executive delegation.

For more information on African Mining Week, visit: https://African-MiningWeek.com/

For more information on S&P Global Energy, visit: https://www.SPGlobal.com/energy/en.