Exploration
Article
November 2025
World Oil contributing editor Bill Head argues it’s time to “unleash” Alaska once again—reviving cost-share research, accelerating exploration and embracing new subsurface technologies. From Permanent Fund history to modern imaging advances, this column examines why frontier basins may be poised for a resurgence.
News
December 03, 2025
ReconAfrica has encountered 64 m of hydrocarbon pay at its Kavango West 1X well in Namibia’s onshore PEL 73. The company will conduct a production test in early 2026 to evaluate flow potential and advance the emerging Damara Fold Belt play.
News
December 02, 2025
Africa’s upstream sector is gaining investor momentum, with regulatory reforms, new licensing rounds, and gas-focused policies improving above-ground attractiveness across key markets from Angola to Namibia and Nigeria.
News
November 14, 2025
Frontera Energy Corp. plans to separate its Colombian infrastructure assets into a new independent company—Frontera Infrastructure—leaving Frontera Exploration & Production (E&P) as a focused, pure-play upstream operator.
News
November 12, 2025
Namibia is moving to bring its oil and gas sector under presidential control as it prepares to join the ranks of Africa’s oil producers. The proposed reform follows major offshore discoveries by TotalEnergies, Shell and Galp, marking a new phase in Namibia’s energy governance and exploration growth.
News
November 05, 2025
Africa’s oil and gas industry is entering a new phase of consolidation and exploration as mergers, acquisitions, and fresh licensing rounds reshape the continent’s upstream landscape heading into 2026.
News
November 03, 2025
Liberty Petroleum plans to begin drilling in 2026 across its 20-million-acre position in Australia’s Officer basin—one of the country’s largest untapped oil prospects. The U.S.-based firm’s project underscores deepening U.S.–Australia energy cooperation.
News
October 30, 2025
An independent petroleum reserves and resources evaluation has confirmed world-class hydrocarbon potential in Greenland’s Jameson Land basin, identifying more than 13 billion barrels of prospective recoverable oil resources across 58 prospects.
News
October 24, 2025
Op-Ed: As Namibia’s Orange basin edges toward a 2026 final investment decision, Tom Alweendo outlines critical priorities in ports, local content, and permitting that will determine whether the country converts discovery momentum into credible investment.
News
October 21, 2025
Brazil’s state-run Petrobras has received environmental approval to begin drilling its first exploration well in the Foz do Amazonas basin after years of regulatory delay. The project could open a new offshore frontier comparable to Guyana’s oil-rich plays, as Brazil seeks to sustain output beyond 2030.
News
October 17, 2025
MariEnergies has announced an oil discovery at its Shawal-1 exploration well, located in the Mari Development and Production Lease (Mari D&PL). MariEnergies operates Pakistan’s largest gas reservoir in the Mari D&PL area and is the nation’s second-largest gas producer.
News
October 16, 2025
The 2025 Gulf Energy Information Excellence Awards in Houston honored this year's upstream innovators, including SLB, Saudi Aramco, Halliburton, ExxonMobil, Baker Hughes, Oil States, NOV and Reliance Industries. Winners were recognized for advancements in deepwater and drilling technologies, digital transformation, completions and more.
News
October 15, 2025
Valeura Energy and partner Pinnacle Turkey have signed a joint venture agreement with Transatlantic Petroleum to explore and develop deep gas formations in Türkiye’s Thrace basin. The partnership will begin with the re-entry and testing of the Devepinar-1 well, targeting commercial potential in the Kesan formation.
News
October 13, 2025
Sonatrach and Saudi Arabia’s Midad Energy have signed a $5.4 billion production-sharing agreement to explore and develop the Illizi South block in Algeria. The project aims to produce 125 Bcm of gas and 204 million barrels of liquids over 30 years.
News
October 09, 2025
Sintana Energy Inc. has agreed to acquire Challenger Energy Group PLC in an all-share transaction valued at approximately C$83.6 million. The deal expands Sintana’s high-impact offshore exploration footprint in Uruguay and Namibia.
News
October 07, 2025
ReconAfrica is drilling ahead into the Otavi carbonate reservoir at its Kavango West 1X exploration well in Namibia. The company expects to reach total depth in November, followed by a full evaluation of the reservoir section.
News
October 07, 2025
Chevron Corp. has appointed TotalEnergies exec Kevin McLachlan as its new VP of Exploration, effective November 1, succeeding Liz Schwarze, who will retire in February 2026 after 36 years with the company.
News
October 06, 2025
TotalEnergies has appointed Nicola Mavilla as Senior Vice President of Exploration effective Nov. 1, 2025, succeeding Kevin McLachlan after a decade in the role.
News
October 06, 2025
Executives from TotalEnergies, Chevron and bp highlighted at African Energy Week 2025 how improved subsurface imaging and streamlined approvals could spark a new exploration renaissance across key basins such as Namibia, the Congo, and Egypt’s Nile Delta.
News
September 19, 2025
Nigeria’s NNPC Ltd. is accelerating upstream oil and gas growth with new production sharing contracts alongside TotalEnergies, crude supply agreements and gas pipeline progress. The company aims to attract $60 billion in upstream investment by 2030.
