Chamwe Kaira
SLR Environmental Consulting (Namibia) submitted the final scoping report for the proposed development of the Offshore Venus Field in Block 2913B to the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism on 30 May.
TotalEnergies EP Namibia B.V. (TEEPNA), together with joint venture partners NAMCOR and QatarEnergy, holds the exploration licence for Block 2913B, located offshore southern Namibia.
Following positive exploration and appraisal results and ongoing development studies, the joint venture is now assessing the feasibility of producing oil commercially from the Venus Field.
The Venus Field lies about 320 km southwest of Lüderitz in the northern section of Block 2913B, at a water depth of around 3,000 meters.
The proposed development includes drilling up to 40 subsea wells, installing subsea infrastructure, mooring a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel at the site, and transferring oil from the FPSO to export tankers. Support operations will rely on supply vessels and aircraft from onshore facilities.
The joint venture has applied for an Environmental Clearance Certificate to begin development and produce light crude oil.
If approved, construction, drilling, and installation phases are expected to take five years. The production phase is projected to last up to 20 years.
The development requires approval under Namibia’s Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations of 2012.
SLR Environmental Consulting is serving as the independent environmental assessment practitioner overseeing the scoping and EIA process.
Block 2913B covers 8,215 square kilometres and is located about 300 km from Oranjemund, 320 km from Lüderitz, and 700 km from Walvis Bay. Water depths in the area range from 2,600 to 3,300 meters.
Production capacity is estimated at 160,000 barrels of oil per day, with the FPSO able to store up to two million barrels.
Offshore production operations will involve Dynamically Positioning Shuttle Tankers (DPSTs) to offload oil from the FPSO.
The oil will then be transferred nearshore to conventional tankers for export. The joint venture is conducting studies to determine the final location of the nearshore transshipment area.
Coastal waters near Walvis Bay, 5 to 10 km offshore, are under consideration, although areas closer to Lüderitz have also been assessed.
