Qatar, Namibia now oil partners
Mines and energy minister Tom Alweendo signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on behalf of the Namibian government with QatarEnergy in Qatar last weekend.This is aimed at strengthening cooperation in the energy sector, according to a media statement released by the oil company in Doha on Sunday.
Qatar's Minister of Energy Affairs, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, who is also QatarEnergy's President and CEO, signed the agreement on behalf of QatarEnergy.
Continuous collaboration focusing on sharing expertise; the promotion of Namibian employees; and the development of further investment opportunities in Namibia, are included in the agreement.
Al-Kaabi said during the ceremony: “We are pleased to enhance our cooperation with the Government of Namibia and build on our recent success. This agreement strengthens our relationship as we work together to ensure a prosperous future."
QatarEnergy recently announced the discovery of light oil at the Jonker-1X well in the Orange Basin of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Namibia. This discovery adds to previous discoveries in two separate oil and gas wells announced in 2022.
QatarEnergy currently has interests in three exploration licences along the Namibian coast, specifically in PEL-39 in which the Qatari company owns 45% shares, in PEL-56 with a 30% shareholding, and in PEL-91 with 28.33%. These license areas cover a total of more than 28 000 km².