TotalEnergies is preparing to begin a three-well drilling campaign at the Mopane oil discovery offshore Namibia, as the French energy company works towards a final investment decision on the project in 2028.
The company is mobilising for an exploration and appraisal programme using the Tungsten Explorer drillship, with drilling targeted to begin in the second half of 2026.
TotalEnergies E&P Namibia Managing Director and Country Chair Mariam Kane-Garcia confirmed the preparations following a visit to the drillship offshore Walvis Bay.
“We are fully gearing up to kick off an exciting exploration and appraisal campaign at Mopane in Namibia,” Kane-Garcia said.
The campaign will focus on assessing the Mopane discovery’s resource potential and gathering technical data needed to determine the project’s commercial viability and future development requirements.
The drilling preparations follow TotalEnergies’ acquisition of a 40% operated interest in Petroleum Exploration Licence (PEL) 83 under a transaction agreed with Galp in December 2025.
The agreement strengthened TotalEnergies’ position in Namibia’s offshore oil sector, giving it operational control of Mopane alongside its existing interests in the Venus discovery.
Under the transaction, Galp acquired a 10% participating interest in PEL 56, which contains Venus, and a 9.39% interest in PEL 91.
TotalEnergies and Galp each hold 40% in PEL 83, while the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) and Custos hold 10% each.
At Venus, TotalEnergies holds a 35.25% operated interest in PEL 56, alongside QatarEnergy with 35.25%, Galp with 10%, Namcor with 10% and Impact Oil & Gas with 9.5%.
The company also operates PEL 91 with a 33.09% interest, while QatarEnergy holds 33.03%, Namcor 15%, Impact 9.5% and Galp 9.39%.
TotalEnergies Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanné previously described the agreement with Galp as an important step towards establishing a major oil production hub offshore Namibia.
The planned three-well programme will be a key stage in evaluating Mopane ahead of the company’s targeted 2028 final investment decision.
TotalEnergies is also advancing its offshore exploration portfolio through plans to become operator of PEL 104.
The Tungsten Explorer drillship was built in 2013, measures 235 metres in length and can accommodate up to 200 people. The vessel has a maximum drilling depth capacity of 12,000 metres.
