Offshore Venus Field development enters ESIA phase

Community members are invited to public consultative meetings scheduled in various towns as part of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) - scoping phase for the proposed development of the Offshore Venus Field in Block 2913B, situated approximately 320 km southwest of Lüderitz.

TotalEnergies EP Namibia B.V. (TEEPNA) and its Joint Venture (JV) partners (currently Impact Oil & Gas, NAMCOR and QatarEnergy) are conducting the ESIA. SLR Environmental Consulting (Namibia) (Pty) Ltd (SLR) supported by Urban Dynamics Africa (Pty) Ltd has been appointed by the JV to conduct the ESIA and to manage the stakeholder engagement process. Public consultative meetings are thus scheduled in Keetmanshoop (7 April), Bethanie (8 April), Lüderitz 9 April to 12 April, Oranjemund (14 April), Windhoek 22 April to 23 April) Swakopmund (28 April), Henties Bay (28 April), Walvis Bay (29 April - 30 April), followed by a virtual online meeting (6 May). The draft Scoping Report (DSR) is also available for review until 13 May 2025.

The JV intends to drill up to 40 subsea wells from the seabed to produce hydrocarbons from and separate the fluids on a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel moored at the Venus Field. The gas will be re-injected back through the subsea wells and the oil will be transferred from the FPSO to tankers for transport to buyers. No onshore production facilities are associated with this project. According to the company, a final decision will be taken before the drilling of the subsea wells and installation of the offshore production facilities (which will take approximately 5 years) commence and the start of production which could last for more than 20 years.

TotalEnergies EP Namibia B.V., together with its JV partners discovered hydrocarbons in Block 2913B offshore Namibia in 2022 and appraised the discovery, called Venus. The Joint Venture now wants to move toward the development of Venus Field. This field is situated offshore, about 300 km from Oranjemund, 320 km from Lüderitz and 700 km from Walvis Bay in deep water (around 3 000 m). Before the JV can proceed with the proposed development, it needs to obtain authorisation in the form of an Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) from the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT). An Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) must be performed as part of this process.