LUANDA, Angola, February 8, 2021/ -- Due
to some inaccurate interpretations disseminated in
national and
international media and also on social media about the work to be
carried out in the Angolan interior basins, particularly in the
Etosha/Okavango Basin, the Angolan Agency for Oil, Gas and Biofuels,
clarifies the following: 1. In compliance with
the guidelines established by the Angolan Government in the National
Development Plan 2018-2022, for the oil sector, and in compliance with
Presidential Decree No. 282/20 of 27 October, which approves Angola's
Hydrocarbon Exploration Strategy 2020-2025, the Angolan Agency for Oil,
Gas and Biofuels is promoting several public tenders for the assessment
of the oil potential of several onshore interior basins.
2. The
inner basins of Kassanje, which are located in the Angolan provinces of
Malange and Uige, and that of Etosha/Okavango, located in the provinces
of Cunene, Cuando Cubango and Moxico – in a total area of about 520,000
km2 – are sedimentary basins, in which there is a strong probability of
occurrence of crude oil and natural gas. Of the total existing area,
only 20% is located in protected areas, which means that it is incorrect
and inappropriate to assume that all of the interior basins referenced
for the assessment of their oil potential are protected environmental
conservation areas.
3. Studies in these basins started in 2010
with an aero gravimetric survey that allowed the definition of their
limits and the depth of sediments, an important aspect to assess the
possibility of hydrocarbon generation (crude oil and natural gas).
4.
At the end of this first phase, it was considered important to move on
to a second phase which should start with environmental impact,
restoration and repopulation studies to prevent against possible
situations that may cause any damage to the environment, although this
is not expected, as the sampling will be done on the surface.
5.
Accessibility studies will also be carried out for these sedimentary
basins to allow teams to move around the terrain and ascertain the
geographical situation of the area, through topographic surveys and the
acquisition of satellite images, which will detail the occupation of
space.
6. The final purpose of the fieldwork will be to collect
samples of crude oil and natural gas on the surface, which has been
reported by the population, as well as to obtain samples of rocks that
will be sent for laboratory analysis. The final result of the laboratory
analysis will be integrated into the maps generated in the first phase,
allowing a perspective of the level of prospective of the different
areas of the basins under analysis.
7. All this activity will
prioritize areas outside the environmental protection zones, and work in
protected areas will start as soon as it is legally possible. This work
will be carried out in coordination with the ministerial department
responsible for the environment, which must approve the environmental
impact study and coordinate the public consultation.
8. The
decision to bid or not to bid in the protected areas of these basins,
which are less than 20% of total area, will be based on the results of
the environmental pre-feasibility study, to be carried out by an
independent entity in coordination with the ministerial department
responsible for the environment.
9. Based on the principle that
each State has the right to know the existing resources in its
territory, it is essential to carry out these studies before taking the
decision of awarding its exploration by specialized and reputable
investors in the sector.
10.
It
should be noted that countries in the region, such as Zambia, Namibia
and Botswana, have already gone through the same process, which
thereafter they carried out the respective bidding processes with safety
and respect to the environment.
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