TotalEnergies now stands as the dominant upstream force in the Namibian Orange Basin, operating both the Venus and Mopane discoveries and holding a combined 108.34% aggregate working interest across PEL 56, PEL 83 and PEL 91.
The consolidation of operatorship and cumulative ownership follows a landmark asset swap with Galp — one of the most consequential restructurings since the first Venus oil discovery in 2022.
TotalEnergies’ asset-swap with Galp marks one of the most decisive restructurings in the Orange Basin since the first Venus discovery in 2022, consolidating operatorship of Namibia’s two biggest oil finds under a single supermajor while reshaping the role of every partner involved.
The asset swap also effectively ends Galp’s year-long search for a deep-pocketed partner to shoulder the financial and technical burden of developing the Mopane discovery.
Galp had previously disclosed that Mopane could require US$3–5 billion for appraisal and early development alone — an amount widely viewed as too large for the company to carry as operator.
The deal therefore resolves the uncertainty surrounding Galp’s ability to progress Mopane while retaining exposure to its potential multi-billion-barrel upside.
Under the deal, reported by Reuters on 9 December, TotalEnergies acquires 40% of PEL 83, home to Galp’s Mopane discovery.
That interest gives TotalEnergies full operatorship of Mopane, placing it alongside Venus — where Total already leads the joint venture — and effectively aligning both high-impact projects under one technical and financial strategy.
In return, Galp receives 10% of PEL 56, the Venus licence, and 9.4% of PEL 91, another Total-operated block adjacent to Venus and Mopane.
Both discoveries have reshaped expectations for Namibia’s offshore potential. Venus, announced in February 2022, is considered one of the most significant deepwater finds of the decade and is believed to host an estimated 3 billion barrels of oil in place across multiple reservoir intervals.
Mopane, discovered by Galp in early 2024 and appraised throughout the year, is widely regarded as a potential multi-billion-barrel system after successive successful wells confirmed thick, oil-bearing sands and strong reservoir continuity.
Although neither company has released official recoverable reserves, industry consensus places both discoveries among the most significant ever made in sub-Saharan Africa.
The numbers mean Galp now participates across all three adjoining licences, but crucially as a non-operating minority partner, shifting away from the lead role it briefly held at Mopane.
TotalEnergies will also carry 50% of Galp’s future Mopane exploration and appraisal spending, with repayment to come from Galp’s share of future project revenues.
For a company of Galp’s size, this reduces capital pressure at a time of aggressive basin-wide development and allows it to retain exposure to what may become Africa’s next multibillion-barrel cluster.
For TotalEnergies, the deal is a strategic masterstroke.
The supermajor now operates both Venus and Mopane, the Orange Basin’s most significant confirmed discoveries, with control over drilling programmes, timelines, reservoir integration, development concepts and eventual flow-to-market planning.
With one operator overseeing the basin’s core structures, Namibia gains a far more coherent pathway to a multi-hub offshore development rather than fragmented project streams led by different companies.
The reshuffle also clarifies the landscape for joint-venture partners.
In Venus (PEL 56), TotalEnergies remains the operator alongside Impact Oil & Gas and QatarEnergy — but now with Galp joining the table with a 10% stake.
In Mopane (PEL 83), where Galp previously operated with partners NAMCOR and Custos, TotalEnergies’ new 40% stake puts it firmly in the driver’s seat.
NAMCOR and Custos retain their equity but will now operate under Total’s operational framework rather than Galp’s. In PEL 91, Galp’s new 9.4% position adds another layer of alignment across the three contiguous licences without altering TotalEnergies’ existing role as operator.
For Namibia, the implications are significant.
A single, well-capitalised operator running both mega-discoveries increases the likelihood of synchronised development planning, faster decision-making and clearer investment signals ahead of the much-anticipated Venus final investment decision.
It also strengthens Namibia’s position in negotiations on infrastructure, local content, and a long-term production strategy, as the state can now engage with a single operator across the basin’s most valuable acreage.
Galp, meanwhile, trades operatorship for diversification. Its earlier Mopane success raised its profile, but operating a frontier deepwater project of this scale carries enormous financial and technical demands.
By stepping back to a risk-shared, multi-licence position — and by securing a cost-carry arrangement — Galp locks in long-term upside with a smaller capital burden.
TotalEnergies, already Namibia’s most influential upstream player, walks away with basin-wide coherence and control — the decisive winner in strategic terms.
But the overall swap also strengthens the basin’s collective chances of moving from discovery to development at scale, which, in turn, is Namibia’s bigger win.
