Angola is entering a new phase of offshore oil exploration as major producers expand their portfolios and seek to use existing infrastructure to bring new discoveries into production more quickly. TotalEnergies is at the center of this activity. On September 10, the French oil major announced a new oil discovery on Block 17 and agreements with Angola’s National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG) to enter two additional exploration blocks.The Acacia-5 discovery is located on Block 17, where TotalEnergies operates with a 38% interest. The company plans to connect the discovery to the existing Pazflor floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, with production expected to begin about three months after the discovery. Acacia-5 is expected to add around 6,000 barrels per day to Block 17 production.
Speed is important in Angola’s mature offshore sector. Using available capacity on existing infrastructure can reduce the time and capital required to develop smaller discoveries, allowing operators to extract additional value from established producing areas.
TotalEnergies’ expansion is not limited to Block 17. Under new agreements with ANPG, the company will hold a 40% operated interest in Blocks 17/25 and 32/21. Both areas have existing 3D seismic coverage and are located close to infrastructure connected to TotalEnergies’ current operations, creating potential for future developments to be linked to established facilities.
Acacia-5 is also the second exploration success announced by TotalEnergies in Angola this year. The company previously reported a discovery on Block 0, reinforcing its exploration activity across both the country’s northern and central offshore areas.
The developments come as TotalEnergies and its partners prepare a broader investment cycle in Angola. Chief Executive Patrick Pouyanné said in September that the company and its partners plan to invest around $10 billion in Angola over the next five years. The figure includes the $6 billion Kaminho project, which is expected to start production in 2028.
TotalEnergies currently produces around 450,000 barrels per day in Angola, making the country one of the company’s largest oil-producing operations. At the national level, however, Angola has been working to stabilize production at around 1 million barrels per day after years of decline from mature fields.
That makes new exploration strategically important for Luanda. Maintaining production requires not only large projects such as Kaminho but also smaller discoveries that can be developed efficiently and connected to existing infrastructure.
Angola’s government has been pushing to attract new investment into exploration while expanding the country’s upstream portfolio. The strategy increasingly depends on combining new acreage with existing offshore infrastructure, allowing companies to shorten development timelines and improve the economics of projects.
TotalEnergies’ latest moves illustrate that approach. Acacia-5 is a relatively modest discovery in production terms, but its rapid development and proximity to existing facilities make it commercially significant. At the same time, the company’s entry into two additional blocks expands the exploration pipeline.
For Angola, the broader objective is to turn renewed exploration activity into sustained production and investment. The combination of new discoveries, additional acreage and existing infrastructure could become an important part of the country’s effort to maintain its position as a major African oil producer.
