JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, February 17, 2026/APO Group/ –Energy major Eni continues to deliver on its exploration drive in Africa, announcing two major hydrocarbon discoveries in February 2026. In Ivory Coast, the company successfully drilled the Murene South-1X well in Block CI-501, confirming the Calao South discovery within the prolific Calao channel complex. Through its Angolan joint venture Azule Energy, the company also announced the Algaita-01 well in Block 15/06 – situated in the prolific Lower Congo Basin. Together, these milestones reflect a deliberate dual-track strategy for the company: opening new hydrocarbon frontiers while strengthening production capacity across Africa’s established markets.

 

As the voice of the African energy sector, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) commends Eni for its sustained commitment to African exploration. Large-scale discoveries in Ivory Coast and Angola are not only commercial wins – they are strategic victories for the continent. For emerging producers such as Ivory Coast, discoveries of this scale fast-track energy independence and domestic gas-to-power expansion. For mature producers such as Angola, they underpin production stability and fiscal resilience at a time when global capital is increasingly selective. As the company advances appraisal, testing and development planning, these discoveries have the potential to catalyze a new wave of upstream momentum across Africa’s hydrocarbon market.

Ivory Coast: Unlocking New Frontiers

Representing the first exploration well in Block CI-501, Eni’s recent Calao South discovery has estimated volumes of 5 trillion cubic feet of gas and 450 million barrels of condensate. Drilled in water depths of approximately 5,000 meters, the Murene South-1X well encountered high-quality Cenomanian sands with excellent petrophysical properties. The well will undergo a full drill stem test to assess production capacity, but the scale of resources already signals a potential game-changer for the Ivorian gas market.

Crucially, Calao South complements the fast-tracked Baleine Field development – led by Eni as operator. Currently producing over 62,000 barrels of oil and more than 75 million cubic feet of gas per day from Phases 1 and 2, Baleine is set to ramp up significantly under Phase 3, targeting 150,000 barrels of oil and 200 million cubic feet of gas per day. This phased development model demonstrates how exploration success can be rapidly converted into production, supporting domestic power generation and industrial demand while boosting export capacity.

Angola: Scaling-Up Production

Eni’s exploration drive extends beyond Africa’s frontier margins. In established markets such as Angola, the company continues to deliver successful exploration results, with its recent Algaita-01 well further validating the resource potential of Block 15/06 – one of Angola’s biggest producing assets. Drilled in 667 meters of water by the Saipem 12000 drillship, the well encountered oil-bearing sandstones across multiple Upper Miocene intervals, supported by comprehensive data acquisition and fluid sampling. Initial resource estimates measure 500 million barrels of oil, underscoring the growth potential of Angola’s mid-life assets.

What makes Algaita-01 particularly significant is its proximity to the Olombendo FPSO. The presence of existing infrastructure materially enhances development prospects, lowering capital intensity and accelerating time-to-market. This near-field exploration model exemplifies how incremental discoveries around established hubs can sustain production above one million barrels per day in Angola, even as legacy fields mature.

A Continental Exploration Drive

Eni’s Ivory Coast and Angola discoveries come as the company advances a bold exploration strategy across the broader African market. In North Africa, the company plans to invest up to €24 billion across Algeria, Libya and Egypt over the next four years, signaling a major boost for the regional market. Just this month, the company secured the offshore exploration License O1 following Libya’s 2025 open licensing round. Exploration coincides with an ambitious LNG drive in Africa, with projects such as Congo LNG – Phase 2 of which commenced in December 2025 – and Coral North – launched in October 2025 – underpinning its gas strategy.

“Eni’s recent discoveries in Ivory Coast and Angola send a powerful signal to the global market that Africa remains open, prospective and competitive. Oil and gas are not relics of the past for our continent – they are the foundation of industrialization, power generation and economic sovereignty. Companies that continue to explore, invest and partner with African nations are driving real development and long-term energy security,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, AEC.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, February 17, 2026/APO Group/ –The year 2026 is shaping up to be a defining year for African energy. Amid shifting geopolitics, intensifying trade disputes and the global push to diversify supply chains, international partners are increasingly turning toward Africa as a strategic energy anchor. At the same time, continent-wide regulatory reform, new oil and gas discoveries and strengthened global alliances have significantly enhanced Africa’s competitiveness, positioning it as one of the most attractive destinations for foreign energy capital in today’s climate.

 

At this pivotal moment, the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies Conference & Exhibition emerges as the continent’s most consequential energy platform – for international investors seeking new entry points, for African governments engaging global partners and for indigenous companies expanding their regional and global footprint. Taking place October 12-16, 2026 in Cape Town, AEW’s newly launched Draft 2026 program reflects the urgency, scale and opportunity defining Africa’s current energy trajectory.

“Africa’s energy sector is rising with confidence on the global stage. From upstream expansion to downstream industrialization and power generation, the continent is no longer waiting on the sidelines – it is shaping global energy markets. AEW: Invest in African Energies provides the platform where African voices, African projects and African solutions take center stage,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber.

Global Realignment Meets African Resources

With over 125 billion barrels of crude reserves, 620 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and abundant solar, wind and hydropower potential, Africa has long-been an attractive destination for international energy companies. Yet despite this resource base, the continent’s energy finance gap remains between $31 billion and $50 billion – constraining project execution, delaying infrastructure rollout and limiting the pace at which Africa can translate resource wealth into industrial growth and universal energy access. But this trajectory is already shifting. Global efforts to diversify supply chains, strengthened fiscal and legal terms across Africa and a rise in strong and capable domestic partners has transformed the continent from merely attractive to increasingly competitive.

Recent moves reflect this. In the oil sector, licensing rounds in Libya, Angola, Nigeria, Algeria have opened new acreage for major players while strategic divestment has created space for local and regional players to expand. In the gas sector, the launch of large-scale LNG facilities – including Congo LNG Phase 2, Greater Tortue Ahmeyim and the resumption of Mozambique LNG – underscores the potential for billion-dollar projects. Renewable energy is also taking shape. Over 13 GW of utility-scale solar and wind is under development while green hydrogen production could reach 50 million tons per annum by 2035. As capital competition intensifies and global markets seek secure, diversified energy supply, AEW 2026 arrives at a decisive moment – providing the platform where this resource strength, reform momentum and investor appetite converge into actionable partnerships and project financing.

Strategic Positioning, Five-Stage Program

Reflecting Africa’s mandate of attracting global capital while strengthening domestic energy systems, AEW 2026 is structured around a five-stage program designed to address the full energy value chain. The AEW Town Hall will convene senior policymakers, regulators and private-sector leaders in a high-level roundtable format aimed at aligning fiscal regimes, scaling indigenous operators and accelerating the shift from resource extraction to industrialization. Country spotlights will showcase active licensing rounds, regulatory reforms and investment pipelines across key markets.

With over $20 billion required for refining infrastructure and billions more needed for storage, petrochemicals and gas-to-power integration, the Energy Finance & Downstream Summit will examine the dual bottlenecks of capital access and underdeveloped value chains. The Upstream E&P Forum will spotlight new gas frontiers through 2035, marginal field development, transboundary collaboration and high-impact drilling campaigns.

The Powering Africa Forum addresses the continent’s electrification challenge directly, examining grid expansion, renewable integration, utility reform and the rise of energy-intensive industries such as data centers. With electricity demand projected to rise sharply through 2030, this track positions power infrastructure as both a social necessity and a major investment opportunity. Finally, the Energy Additions Forum underscores Africa’s pragmatic approach to energy security – responsibly developing hydrocarbons alongside renewables. Together, these stages position AEW not simply as a conference, but as a structured marketplace for policy alignment, capital allocation and project acceleration.

Technical Dialogue, Commercial Outcomes

As capital becomes increasingly selective and investors prioritize technical certainty alongside fiscal stability, detailed subsurface intelligence and operational efficiency are no longer secondary considerations – they are core investment criteria. AEW 2026’s technical platforms – The Drill Room and The Innovation Hub – are therefore positioned not as side discussions, but as critical forums for evaluating risk, cost structures and commercial viability across Africa’s emerging and established basins.

The Drill Room will focus on translating geological potential into economically recoverable resources, while the Innovation Hub will address the growing role of technology in strengthening Africa’s energy competitiveness. By grounding technical dialogue in commercial outcomes, AEW 2026 frames geology, engineering and digital innovation as essential pillars of investment confidence – reinforcing the link between subsurface potential and capital deployment.

PARAMARIBO, Suriname, February 16, 2026/APO Group/ –Melvin Bouva, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation of Suriname, has been confirmed as a keynote speaker at Caribbean Energy Week (CEW 2026), taking place from 30 March to 1 April 2026 in Paramaribo. His participation signals high-level support at a pivotal stage in the country’s transition from exploration frontier to offshore producer, reinforcing government commitment to investor engagement and long-term sector development.

The keynote will provide direct insight into Suriname’s policy coordination, international partnerships and capital-mobilization strategy as the country advances toward first offshore oil in 2028. Central to this trajectory is the GranMorgu development in Block 58 – led by TotalEnergies and APA Corporation – targeting roughly 220,000 barrels per day, with construction of a floating production vessel already underway and state firm Staatsolie holding a 20% stake. Bouva’s address is expected to detail how Suriname is aligning foreign policy, fiscal certainty and state participation to advance first oil timelines and unlock follow-on upstream investment.

Gas monetization is emerging as a parallel strategic pillar. Malaysia’s PETRONAS declared the Sloanea discovery in Block 52 commercial in late 2025, with a final investment decision anticipated in 2026 and first gas targeted around 2030 via floating LNG. The Minister’s remarks are therefore expected to frame how foreign policy, infrastructure planning and market access converge to enable both oil production and future gas exports.

“Suriname is moving from discovery to execution, where investor confidence will depend on clear policy signals and disciplined project delivery,” states Sandra Jeque, Project Director at Energy Capital & Power. “Minister Bouva’s keynote brings the government’s strategic lens to that transition – showing how diplomacy, financing and regulation are being aligned to bring the country’s first offshore production online and sustain long-term upstream growth.”

Beyond hydrocarbons, Suriname is strengthening its macro-investment narrative through international financial cooperation, including recent debt-relief arrangements and expanding ties with partners across Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. As one of the world’s few carbon-negative countries, Suriname is also leveraging its High-Forest, Low-Deforestation profile to access climate finance – positioning energy development alongside environmental credibility in discussions with global investors.

Hosted at the Royal Torarica Hotel, CEW 2026 convenes regional governments, operators and financiers at a defining moment for Caribbean energy. Bouva’s confirmed keynote underscores institutional readiness and strategic alignment behind Suriname’s offshore projects – offering stakeholders a clear signal of policy continuity as capital deployment accelerates.

Join us in shaping the future of Caribbean energy. To participate in this landmark event, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com.