Galp expects the lab analysis from the Mopane-3X sample in Q3 or Q4 of 2025, while the farm-down process is expected to be confirmed by the end of the year.
By 2026, the company anticipates entering field development planning and making a Final Investment Decision (FID).
These milestones, disclosed in Galp’s Q2 2025 Interim Management and Account First Half 2025 Report, mark a pivotal phase in the company’s strategy to develop one of sub-Saharan Africa’s most promising offshore oil discoveries.
Operating Petroleum Exploration Licence (PEL) 83 in Namibia’s Orange Basin, Galp holds an 80% stake, alongside Namcor and Custos Energy, which each have 10%.
The Mopane play has rapidly advanced through a focused appraisal campaign, culminating in the drilling of the Mopane-3X well in early 2025.
That well confirmed the presence of light oil and condensate in multiple stacked reservoir zones—AVO-10, AVO-13, and deeper targets—featuring high porosity, intense pressure, and minimal contaminants.
Fluid samples retrieved from the well are currently undergoing laboratory testing to inform future planning.
According to the Q2 report, Galp has invested around US$300 million into the Mopane programme to date. This includes seismic acquisition, five drilled wells, and early pre-FEED engineering.
The company has also reduced its per-well drilling cost to below US$75 million, indicating growing efficiency and confidence in the project’s technical foundation.
Although Namibia has not yet entered the oil production phase, the Mopane discovery—estimated at 10 billion barrels of oil equivalent in place—positions Galp at the forefront of what could become the country’s first commercial offshore oil development.
The company has received multiple non-binding offers as part of its ongoing farm-down process, which it aims to finalise by the end of 2025.
If timelines hold, Mopane may not just be Galp’s most valuable upstream asset—but Namibia’s gateway to becoming a petroleum-producing nation.
