Keypoints:
- TotalEnergies extends Block 32 licence to 2043
- New offshore blocks targeted in Benguela Basin
- $6bn Kaminho project targets 2028 production
TOTALENERGIES is accelerating its expansion strategy in Angola as the French energy major pushes ahead with deepwater developments, frontier exploration and production growth projects aimed at reinforcing the country’s position as a leading African oil producer.
According to recent company and industry statements, TotalEnergies has expanded investment across several Angolan assets as Luanda seeks to sustain crude production above one million barrels per day and attract long-term foreign capital into the energy sector.
The company, one of the country’s largest international operators, is pursuing a strategy that combines mature asset optimisation with exploration in underexplored offshore basins. The renewed momentum comes as Angola continues to position itself as one of Africa’s more investor-friendly energy jurisdictions, contrasting with the resource nationalism trends seen elsewhere on the continent. Recent policy stability has helped Luanda attract fresh upstream interest, even as several African states tighten state control over extractive industries, a trend explored in Africa Briefing’s analysis of Angola’s mining and energy investment strategy.
Block 32 extension strengthens output plans
A major pillar of TotalEnergies’ Angola strategy is the continued development of Block 32, one of the country’s most productive assets.
Earlier this month, the company signed a principles agreement with Angola’s National Oil, Gas & Biofuels Agency (ANPG) to extend the licence for Block 32 through to 2043. The extension creates a framework for continued investment across the block’s producing fields and could pave the way for additional production incentives under Angola’s Incremental Production Decree.
Block 32 includes the Kaombo development, one of Angola’s flagship projects, and remains central to the company’s regional production portfolio.
The extension also reflects broader confidence among international operators in Angola’s deepwater sector, despite increasing global energy transition pressures and heightened competition for upstream capital.
Frontier exploration gathers momentum
Alongside its producing assets, TotalEnergies is expanding exploration efforts into frontier acreage offshore.
In March 2026, the company signed an agreement with ANPG and ExxonMobil covering four offshore blocks in the Benguela and Namibe basins — Blocks 40, 41, 42 and 58. The agreement establishes the basis for future exploration contracts and signals renewed interest in Angola’s frontier basins, which remain relatively underexplored compared to legacy regions.
The latest deal follows another collaboration signed in 2025 involving TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil and ANPG to study and evaluate the free areas within Blocks 17/06 and 32/21.
Those studies are expected to identify new exploration prospects and support future reserve replacement efforts as Angola seeks to offset natural production decline from ageing fields.
Industry analysts say Angola’s push to open frontier acreage offshore has become increasingly important as African producers compete for investment against emerging projects in Latin America and the Middle East. Analysts also note that Angola’s upstream expansion faces growing pressure from global decarbonisation targets and tighter financing conditions linked to the energy transition.
Kaminho project anchors growth plans
At the centre of TotalEnergies’ Angola growth plans is the Kaminho project, regarded as the first large-scale deepwater development in the Kwanza Basin.
The project represents an estimated $6bn investment and is expected to deliver around 70,000 barrels per day once production begins in 2028.
TotalEnergies reached final investment decision on the development in 2024. The project will utilise a floating production, storage and offloading vessel equipped with lower-emission technologies as operators increasingly face pressure to reduce the carbon intensity of operations.
Kaminho adds to the company’s recent momentum in Angola.
In 2025, the Begonia and CLOV Phase 3 projects entered production, adding approximately 60,000 barrels per day to TotalEnergies’ Angolan portfolio. The developments increased the company’s production capacity in Angola at a time when the government is prioritising upstream investment and new discoveries to stabilise long-term output.
Angola’s broader downstream ambitions have also gathered pace following the start of fuel supply operations from the Cabinda refinery, a move expected to reduce import dependence and strengthen domestic energy security.
Angola remains central to African strategy
TotalEnergies’ continued expansion highlights Angola’s enduring importance within the company’s African portfolio.
Despite volatility in global oil markets and mounting investor scrutiny over fossil fuel projects, the company continues to view Angola as a key long-term growth market within its African energy portfolio.
The investments also underline broader international confidence in Angola’s regulatory reforms and efforts to improve competitiveness in the upstream sector.
For Luanda, securing continued investment from major international operators remains critical to maintaining production levels, generating state revenues and supporting broader economic recovery efforts.
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