Also known as: Venus oil and gas project · the Venus oil and gas project · Venus development · Venus oil discovery · Venus fishing vessel · the major Venus oil discovery
At least 15 foreign crew members of the Venus fishing vessel (mainly Russians) belonging to Hodago, say they have been stuck on the vessel for several months. …
… The company is part of the consortium that made the major Venus oil discovery in the offshore Orange Basin in 2022, one of the biggest finds in recent years. …
… Across petroleum licences PEL 56 and PEL 83, TotalEnergies has confirmed approximately 1.5 billion barrels of discovered resources, anchored by the Venus and Mopane projects. …
… Namibia has attracted heightened international attention since 2022 after a series of offshore discoveries in the Orange Basin, including Total Energies’ Venus discovery and Galp’s Mopane complex, which have positioned the country as a key emerging oil and gas frontier. …
… TotalEnergies will take over as operator of Petroleum Exploration License (PEL) 83, which hosts the Mopane oil discoveries, while Galp will acquire interests in PEL 56 and PEL 91, home to the giant Venus discovery. …
… Galp, in turn, will enter PEL 56 and PEL 91, home to the Venus discovery. Galp exchanged a 40% participating interest in PEL 83 for a 10% stake in PEL 56 and a 9.4% interest in PEL 91, while retaining a 40% interest in PEL 83. …
Most direct jobs at the Venus oil and gas project will go to highly-specialised foreign workers, according to the project’s Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (Esia) report. …
… Recent discoveries, including Venus operated by TotalEnergies, Graff and Jonker operated by Shell, and Mopane operated by Galp, are oil-led but have high gas-to-oil ratios. …
Vice President Lucia Witbooi said Namibia's oil discoveries will be measured on how many Namibian lives they improve, and called on Namibians to actively participate in developing the emerging oil and gas industry to create employment, skills, and infrastructure.
Vice President Lucia Witbooi said Namibia's oil discoveries will be measured on how many Namibian lives they improve, and called on Namibians to actively participate in developing the emerging oil and gas industry to create employment, skills, and infrastructure.
Special Advisor Kornelia Shilunga outlined Namibia's vision for converting oil and gas sector decisions into national benefits at the Namibia Oil and Gas Conference 2026.
An opinion piece argues that Namibia should prioritize equity ownership in its oil discoveries—particularly Venus, Graff, and Mopane in the Orange Basin—rather than limiting itself to local-content arrangements that only provide wages and services, contrasting this approach with Norway's wealth-building model.
The proposed development of TotalEnergies' Venus oil discovery could require about US$17 billion (N$274 billion) in investment, an amount larger than Namibia's entire annual GDP, according to Uanguta.
The Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy approved TotalEnergies' acquisition of a 40% interest and operatorship of Galp Energia's Mopane oil discovery in the Orange Basin, while Galp will acquire a 10% stake in TotalEnergies' Venus project. The transaction advances Namibia's offshore petroleum sector and strengthens TotalEnergies' strategic presence in the region.
As Namibia prepares for major oil production starting around 2029, an analyst argues that without deliberate efforts to ensure broad-based prosperity—not just enrichment of a connected elite—the country risks repeating the pattern of oil-dependent economies where wealth concentrates and vulnerability increases when prices fall.
Crude oil is the single most important commodity for Namibian macroeconomic conditions. Global oil price surges—driven by Middle East disruptions and supply constraints—cascade quickly into domestic fuel price increases, as demonstrated by April-May 2026 fuel price hikes of 19.9% for petrol and 43.9% for diesel.
Recent oil and gas discoveries in the Orange Basin, with an over 80% exploration success rate, position Namibia to avoid reliance on imported fuel and build local refining capacity—a lesson highlighted by recent fuel price shocks tied to Middle Eastern conflicts.
Namibia's emerging Orange Basin oil and gas discoveries require strong regulatory and policy frameworks before commercial development momentum becomes difficult to redirect. The country must develop technical regulatory strength, clarify its fiscal regime, and build credible local content systems before major projects are sanctioned, drawing lessons from Guyana, Trinidad, Mozambique and other petroleum states.
TotalEnergies Vice President Mike Sangster met with President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to brief her on advances in the Venus offshore oil discovery, which the company expects will create about 5,000 direct and indirect jobs during construction. The company has submitted development plans to Namibian authorities and targets a final investment decision in mid-2026, though the project faces significant technical challenges including 3,000 metres water depth and location 320 kilometres from the coastline.
At least 15 foreign crew members, predominantly Russian, aboard the Venus fishing vessel owned by Hodago say they have been stuck on the vessel for several months with their passports allegedly confiscated by the company. The Russian Embassy told New Era it is aware of the situation and is working with relevant authorities to resolve the issue.
Energy company TotalEnergies has agreed to exit US offshore wind development, relinquishing two leases and receiving refunds under a settlement with the US Department of the Interior. The company will redirect its investment into US gas and power projects, citing offshore wind's high costs and potential to increase electricity prices.
French energy company TotalEnergies has confirmed approximately 1.5 billion barrels of discovered resources across its Namibian offshore petroleum licences, anchored by the Venus and Mopane projects, with the Mopane field alone estimated to hold 800 million to 1.1 billion barrels of recoverable resources and planned production exceeding 200,000 barrels per day once developed.
Chevron has renewed its diamond sponsorship of the Namibia International Energy Conference (scheduled for April 2026) as the country prepares for first oil following major offshore discoveries in the Orange Basin. The conference aims to bring together government, energy companies, and investors to discuss Namibia's emerging oil and gas sector, which analysts project could contribute up to 18% of GDP at peak production.
TotalEnergies and Galp have announced a partnership reshaping operatorship of key offshore licences in Namibia's Orange Basin, with TotalEnergies taking over PEL 83 (Mopane) and Galp acquiring interests in PEL 56 and PEL 91 (Venus). The companies briefed President Nandi-Ndaitwah on their long-term commitment to developing these discoveries responsibly while creating jobs and economic benefits for Namibians.
TotalEnergies and Galp Energia met President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to update her on their December agreement involving offshore petroleum licences, with TotalEnergies taking operatorship of the Mopane discoveries and Galp entering the Venus project. Both companies outlined expected contributions to employment and local industry participation, with Venus development projected to generate N$127–229 billion over 25 years.
Namibia's Venus oil and gas project is expected to produce first oil around 2030, but the government won't receive significant revenue until five years later due to the company's need to recover initial investment costs of US$15 billion. The environmental and social impact assessment estimates total government revenue of N$127–229 billion over a 25-year project timeframe, with petroleum income tax at 35% only kicking in after upfront costs are recouped.
The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the Venus oil and gas project reveals that most direct jobs will go to highly specialised foreign workers, with only 500 of 2,500 construction-phase jobs being direct positions that require skills not currently available in Namibia. While indirect employment in civil construction, transportation, logistics and workforce services may benefit local communities in Erongo and ||Kharas regions, the direct impact on national employment is limited.
NamibiaOilAndGas.com, a homegrown platform, has been created to safeguard Namibian oil and gas industry data, prevent "data drain," and ensure that critical information on the Orange Basin discoveries remains managed and owned by Namibians rather than international organisations.