TotalEnergies EP Namibia has cautioned local companies positioning themselves for oil and gas opportunities to concentrate on specialised skills rather than broad, unfocused service offerings.
Speaking during a supplier engagement session, Veronica Mungonena, Lead Contracts and Procurement Engineer and Local Content at TotalEnergies, said companies often approach the operator asking what they should do instead of refining what they are capable of delivering.
“Suppliers are encouraged to specialise in one or two areas and build capacity rather than trying to provide everything. TotalEnergies observed that Namibian suppliers often do everything and reach out asking what they should do,” said Mungonena.
She explained that suppliers must understand how the value chain functions, noting that TotalEnergies operates as the engineer while tier 1 contractors subcontract work to tier 2 and tier 3 firms. Knowing where a business fits, she said, makes it easier to target the right opportunities.
Mungonena told suppliers that capacity building requires a clear grasp of industry standards, certification requirements, partnership needs and compliance expectations. She said many Namibian firms attempt to cover too many services at once, which leaves them unprepared when tenders are issued.
She confirmed that suppliers may contact the company through the published email address and said a supplier portal is being developed to centralise opportunities from the operator and its tier 1 contractors.
“Expressions of interest are posted on its website and that tenders are issued through its e-sourcing portal only after initial requirements have been met. Training is provided for suppliers who are unfamiliar with the system. Compliance screening is the first evaluation stage and includes anti-corruption and safety requirements before technical and commercial reviews are considered,” she noted.
The company said its procurement approach is guided by local content principles, including maximising qualified local procurement, building national workforce participation and supporting technology and skills transfer.
This guidance comes as TotalEnergies EP Namibia B.V., in partnership with Impact Oil & Gas, NAMCOR and QatarEnergy, plans to develop the Venus oilfield in Namibia’s Orange Basin, according to the company’s draft Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Report.
The report states that the proposed project will involve drilling up to 40 subsea wells, with oil production, storage and offloading managed by a Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel.
The Venus field lies in Block 2913B, about 300 kilometres off Oranjemund and 320 kilometres from Lüderitz, in deep waters of around 3,000 metres. The project follows the discovery and appraisal of hydrocarbons in 2022.
According to the report, the FPSO will separate and store extracted oil before transferring it to tankers for export, while gas will be re-injected into the reservoir to maintain pressure and ensure production sustainability.
Construction, drilling and installation activities are expected to take between four and six years, with production projected to continue for more than 20 years. No onshore production facilities are planned.
