Namibia Energy Corporation founder Dr Marcio Mello says the Orange Basin is geologically similar to Brazil’s Campos Basin in production and revenue generation.
Mello presented a paper titled Can the Deepwater Orange Basin of Namibia Mirror the Oil Discoveries and Production Success of Brazil’s Deepwater Campos Basin at the Namibia International Energy Conference on Thursday, April 24, 2025.
So far, Mello said, more than 4,000 wells have been drilled in the Campos Basin since 1983.
Mello said the Campos Basin has produced about 9 billion barrels of oil equivalent since 1983 and could have generated more than US$700 billion, considering the barrel price at around US$80.
The basin has generated total revenues of over $700 billion.
He said the Marlin field has reached over 15,000 barrels of oil daily, and the Orange Basin has the same oil potential.
According to Mello, the 27 wells drilled in the Orange Basin have an average production rate of around 4,000 to 6,000 barrels per day.
He said the Campos and Orange Basin reservoirs are similar and share comparable trap-seal systems, petroleum systems and reservoir formations.
Both the basin, Mello further said, have overcharged Cretaceous lacustrine and marine petroleum systems, with primary reservoirs formed by sand-rich turbidite channel systems.
He added that the key difference is in the stage of development, with the Campos Basin having a mature basin hosting more than 25 drilled deepwater wells and the Orange Basin with just 17 wells.
Mello said the Orange Basin has about 35% light oil, 40% condensate and 30% gas, unlike the Campos Basin, which has 85% light oil, 10% condensate and 5% wet gas.
He pointed out that the Orange Basin is more gas-heavy, with large volumes of oil embedded within its gas reservoirs.
