JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, November 2, 2026/APO Group/ –How can South African businesses turn energy investment into lower operating costs, stronger resilience and long-term competitiveness? This question drove the second day of VUKA Group’s (https://WeAreVUKA.com/) C&I Energy + Storage Summit in Johannesburg, with discussions examining the commercial value of storage, industrial energy strategies and the infrastructure needed to support Africa’s growing digital economy.

 




  

The programme brought together business leaders, energy specialists, financiers and public-sector representatives to address practical decisions facing commercial and industrial users, alongside the EIUG Conference, Water Security Africa and Data Centre Summit.

Energy security, industrial competitiveness and infrastructure readiness emerged as closely connected priorities, with discussions highlighting what businesses need to turn investment plans into operational gains.

Energy storage featured prominently, with panellists examining how tariff optimisation, peak shaving and renewable energy integration can strengthen its value beyond backup power. The investment case, however, needs to account for battery degradation, warranties and operational risk.

Addressing the attendees, Junaid Munshi, Group Executive: Distribution for Eskom told the audience: “For an industrial business, solar and storage can improve the energy cost position. But the opportunity extends beyond the customer’s electricity bill. Where network capacity is constrained, coordinated battery use may relieve pressure on the infrastructure serving that business and, where proven technically dependable, could defer or reduce grid investment. The asset behind your meter can therefore also become a resource beyond it.”

The EIUG session “Industrialisation under threat?” put changing electricity consumption under scrutiny, asking whether lower demand reflected efficiency gains or weakening industrial output. Tariffs, investment conditions and industrial growth remained central to the discussion, highlighting the need to assess energy trends against the health of the wider economy.

At the Data Centre Summit, Africa’s AI ambitions brought power availability and infrastructure readiness into focus. Discussions on grid access, wheeling and network investment highlighted the importance of planning digital growth alongside the electricity infrastructure needed to sustain it.

For businesses developing energy projects, public-private engagement sessions explored infrastructure co-investment, municipal coordination and workable wheeling agreements.

Water Security Africa reinforced the wider resource-security challenge through industrial resilience case studies, digital water technologies and lessons from case studies.

Across the discussions, the practical message was consistent: competitive businesses need more than access to technology and capital. They also need reliable infrastructure, workable commercial arrangements and coordinated delivery.

The afternoon programme translated these themes into business decisions. “The C&I energy playbook” drew together insights from across the summit, while the closing “decision clinic” addressed real project challenges, from choosing between onsite solar and wheeled power to sizing batteries and preparing projects for financing. Experts from DBSA, Standard Bank, SustainableDNA and the City of Tshwane contributed practical guidance.

Download the programme to review the full Day 2 agenda and participating speakers: https://apo-opa.co/4eEKq9a

CARACAS, Venezuela, October 28, 2026/APO Group/ –Venezuela’s amended Organic Hydrocarbons Law has opened several distinct routes into the country’s oil and gas sector, each suited to a different type of asset and a different appetite for operational control. Heavy-oil acreage in the Orinoco Belt, mature onshore fields, offshore gas and refining are all available to international capital, and Venezuela Energy Week (VEW) 2027 will bring the companies weighing those options to Caracas to negotiate directly with PDVSA and the Ministry of Hydrocarbons.

 




 
 

The government made its pitch in Cape Town, South Africa last week, where Vice Minister of Commercial Policy Ricardo Gomez presented 303 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and 193 trillion cubic feet of natural gas at the Venezuela Global Investment Forum during African Energy Week (AEW) 2026. “The opportunities extend from upstream projects to downstream and refining,” he said, as PDVSA works toward its target of 105 definitive oil contracts by year-end.

Participation Contracts

The most direct route is the hydrocarbon productive participation contract (CPPH). Under it, a Venezuela-domiciled company operates a designated area at its own cost and risk for 25 years. With ministry approval, it can also market its share of production. Eni moved its Junín-5 heavy-oil field onto the model in September. The Italian company left its minority joint venture position to become exclusive operator of an asset holding 35 billion barrels of certified oil in place.

Joint Ventures

Companies preferring a partnership can enter a restructured joint venture with PDVSA. The state company keeps majority ownership, but can now hand operational management and marketing rights to its international partners. Mature fields are open through either structure, and their existing wells and infrastructure offer a quicker path to revenue. GeoPark took the contract route at the Bare field – a heavy-oil asset in the Orinoco Belt – under a 25-year agreement. It plans to reactivate up to 1,100 wells and lift output to around 90,000 barrels per day (bpd) by 2038.

Infrastructure Contracts

Direct ministerial contracts and strategic alliances cover oilfield services and infrastructure. Projects on offer include pipeline rehabilitation, export terminals and refinery upgrades. Domestic refineries currently process 350,000 bpd, and PDVSA aims to raise throughput to as much as 600,000 bpd in 2027.

Offshore Gas Follows Its Own Licensing Track

Offshore gas is awarded through a separate licensing process. bp, a Gold Sponsor of VEW 2027, operates the second phase of the cross-border Loran field. It holds the license in equal shares with Abu Dhabi’s XRG and Qatar’s UCC Oil and Gas Holding.

Tiered Fiscal Terms Support Investment Across the Value Chain

Each route to investment sits within a revised fiscal regime. Regulations published in July cap royalties at 30% and the integrated hydrocarbons tax at 15%, with combined rates of 20% for greenfield projects, 25% for extra-heavy oil, 30% for non-producing brownfields and 35% for producing brownfields. Qualifying offshore projects and developments incorporating upgrading or refining infrastructure may receive reductions of up to five percentage points.

“Venezuela is seeing a lot of interest as a result of aggressive fiscal and regulatory changes that are making the country more attractive,” Scott Gilbert, Non-Executive Chairman of Apertura Energy, told the AEW forum.

Companies entering through a CPPH will need a locally incorporated entity, and securing marketing authorization early gives operators greater control over revenue. U.S. companies also structure contracts around the conditions attached to Treasury general licenses, which govern how payments and contract law are handled in deals with PDVSA.

VEW 2027 will put those terms on the table in Caracas, with the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and PDVSA, both patrons of the event, meeting investors across two conference days and a day of site visits. By February, PDVSA’s year-end contracting drive is expected to have produced additional agreements, giving investors a clearer picture of how the revised contractual and fiscal frameworks are being applied in practice.

VEW 2027 takes place February 22–25 at the Simon Bolivar Convention Center in Caracas. Organized by Energy Capital & Power and taking place under the patronage of Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, PDVSA and the Ministry of Hydrocarbons, VEW is the country’s flagship oil and gas investment platform. To register or learn more about sponsorship and speaking opportunities, visit www.VenezuelaEnergyWeek.com.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, October 26, 2026/APO Group/ –The African Energy Chamber (AEC) (https://EnergyChamber.org/) has commended Dr. George Elombi, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), for his decisive leadership in advancing African industrialization, energy security and economic integration. Since succeeding Professor Benedict Oramah in October 2025, Dr. Elombi has overseen a series of landmark financing commitments spanning oil and gas, critical minerals, infrastructure and manufacturing, demonstrating the growing capacity of African financial institutions to mobilize capital for the continent’s development.
 




 

“I was privileged to attend the inauguration of Dr. George Elombi in October 2025 as Afreximbank President and Chairman, succeeding Professor Benedict Oramah. Since that day, I have watched a man of few words keep the promises he made not with grand speeches, but with practical action. At this crossroads in our history, Dr. Elombi understands that leadership is not about occupying the moment. It is about shaping the future,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, AEC.

A cornerstone of Dr. Elombi’s commitment to Africa’s energy sector is the establishment of the Africa Energy Bank (AEB) alongside the African Petroleum Producers Organization. Designed to finance large-scale energy and infrastructure projects across the continent, the AEB will use a corridor approach, prioritizing projects that deliver regional economic development across four pillars: export infrastructure, domestic infrastructure, clean cooking and power. The bank is expected to become operational within weeks and begin financing projects at the start of 2027.

Dr. Elombi’s work is reflected in a series of milestones reached by Afreximbank in recent months as the bank moves to advance intra-African trade, mobilize capital and bring new countries into its mission. In April 2026, South Africa acceded to the Establishment Agreement of the bank, marking the entry of one of the continent’s biggest economies into the bank’s membership. With the move, Afreximbank launched major financial interventions in the country, including a $8 billion Country Program designed to deepen economic growth. According to Dr. Elombi, South Africa’s membership builds on a strong pipeline of Afreximbank-led projects in the country, exceeding $6 billion and spanning healthcare, energy, manufacturing, financial services and mining.

Beyond South Africa, Afreximbank continues to advance financing for strategic projects across a myriad of sectors. Notable transactions include a $3.8 billion agreement with Gabon to support manganese and gold trading as well as energy development and rail infrastructure; a $25 million facility for Lilium Gold to support operations at the Boungou and Wahgnion mines in Burkino Faso; and a $1.75 billion syndicated receivables-purchase facility for Angola’s national oil company Sonangol. In Nigeria, the bank announced a $2.5 billion underwriting commitment – part of a $4 billion syndicated facility – for Dangote Petroleum and Petrochemicals as well as a $750 million reserve-based lending facility for Heirs Energies, supporting indigenous African energy capacity.

The bank was also responsible for the first-recorded Southern African energy sector transaction through the Africa Trade Gateway – a one-stop digital trade ecosystem developed by Afreximbank and the African Continental Free Trade Area. The transaction features a $5.3 million cross-border gasoil trade involving Zimbabwe. One of the most significant developments

Afreximbank’s mandate transcends energy. The bank continues to mobilize capital for infrastructure that can connect African markets, supporting continent-wide industrialization and job creation. In healthcare, the African Medical Center of Excellence in Ajuba, a landmark 170-bed specialty healthcare center developed by Afreximbank, has set a new standard in healthcare in the country. The facility treats more than 5,000 patients from over 20 countries, with plans to expand to 500 beds in the near-term.

“This is more than a list of transactions; it is a practical expression of economic sovereignty, financing African businesses, moving African commodities, developing African infrastructure and keeping more value on the continent,” Ayuk said. “Dr. Elombi is running his race. He is not chasing applause; he is building momentum. He knows that Africa’s future will be secured by institutions that are bold enough to invest, disciplined enough to deliver, and confident enough to believe in Africa’s own capacity.”