International energy company Azule Energy has completed the offshore platforms for Angola’s first non-associated gas project. The Quiluma platform has been loaded out and sailed away from the Ambriz Petromar Yard, joining the Maboqueiro platform which sailed away in December 2024. The move represents a milestone for the project as it targets first gas production in late-2025 or early-2026.

The development aligns with Angola’s two-fold approach to oil and gas development, whereby the country strives to boost oil production through exploration while increasing gas processing capacity and exports. This approach was outlined during African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies 2024, with an Angolan country spotlight sharing insight into major projects such as the Quiluma & Maboqueiro (Q&M) development. At the 2025 edition of AEW: Invest in African Energies, further updates on Angola’s hydrocarbon strategy will be showcased, as the event drives discussions around Africa’s emerging gas economy.

AEW: Invest in African Energies is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Visit www.AECWeek.com for more information about this exciting event.

Developed by the New Gas Consortium (NGC) – comprising Azule Energy as the operator, Cabinda Gulf Oil Company, Sonangol P&P and TotalEnergies – the Q&M development will harness gas resources from the Quiluma and Maboqueiro shallow water fields. An onshore facility will process gas from the fields, connecting to the country’s sole LNG facility in Soyo: Angola LNG. All the requisite commercial deals for the project were signed in December 2024, aimed at expediting gas production. The project is expected to contribute to Angola’s broader goal of increasing the share of natural gas in the energy matrix to 25%, serving as a benchmark for other emerging gas producers in Africa.

While Angola has been producing and exporting LNG for several years, most of the gas has been derived from associated gas projects, thereby monetizing previously-flared resources at offshore oil projects. However, to further boost LNG capacity, the country is looking at non-associated gas opportunities, with the Q&M project leading the way in this endeavor. The project highlights both the commercial potential available in developing non-associated gas as well as the level of opportunity in this regard. Angola, for its part, has over 11 trillion cubic feet of proven gas resources and is inviting greater investment in exploration to unlock these resources.

At the forefront of exploration efforts is the country’s multi-year licensing strategy. Launched in 2019, the round aims to award up to 55 blocks for exploration by the end of 2025, with 32 concessions awarded to date. The final bid round in this strategy – a nine-block tender offering acreage in the Kwanza and Benguela offshore basins – will be launched in Q1, 2025. The country’s upstream regulator – the National Oil, Gas & Biofuels Agency – continues to award blocks from the 2023 bid round, with three companies qualifying as operators for nine blocks onshore. Beyond the licensing round, Angola has 11 blocks available for exploration on direct negotiation and five marginal fields. This diverse investment model allows companies to invest out of the confines of a traditional licensing structure, thereby incentivizing greater participation by both foreign and local firms. Just this year, oil and gas company Red Sky Energy secured a 35% interest in Block 6/24 while Oando secured operatorship of KON 13, onshore.

These efforts to boost investment in exploration are expected to support the country’s gas production goals. By developing new fields, the country seeks to unlock additional reserves, with existing infrastructure and growing regional demand driving investment even further. This model can be replicated continent-wide, as regional neighbors turn recent discoveries into integrated oil and gas developments.

“We need to move beyond the thinking that natural gas is merely a transition fuel for Africa. Natural gas is the fuel of the future. With significant proven reserves, countries such as Angola stand to transform both their domestic and regional economies, accelerating industrialization and electrification through low-carbon gas projects. The milestone achieved by Azule Energy and its project partners should be commended. As the country’s first non-associated gas project, the development signals the start of a new era of gas-driven growth in Angola,” states Tomás Gerbasio, VP Commercial and Strategic Engagement.