• Afentra plans to launch a drilling campaign at Angola’s offshore Block 3/05, starting with the Pacassa SW well.
• Sonangol will finance the drilling, with costs to be repaid from future oil production revenues.
• The campaign aligns with a broader acquisition process involving Afentra, Sonangol, and Maurel & Prom.

Afentra has accelerated efforts to support development work at Angola’s offshore Block 3/05. The company has acted with the support of state-owned Sonangol to sustain production at the asset.

Afentra announced on Monday, March 30 that it will imminently launch a drilling campaign on the producing offshore block. The initiative aims to stabilize and increase existing output.

The program includes the drilling of the Pacassa SW well, with operations expected to begin “in the coming days.” This phase will mark the operational start of the campaign, and Afentra stated that the well targets already identified reservoirs.

The company has already planned a second well as part of a broader development program. This program aims to support and increase current production levels.

Afentra added that the data collected during drilling will improve reservoir understanding and optimize future operations on the site.

Sonangol has agreed to finance the two wells. The state oil company will advance drilling costs, which Afentra will later repay through revenues generated from oil production.

Afentra stated that this structure allows it to launch operations without immediately committing its own capital. It also enables the company to accelerate timelines and start activities earlier than initially planned on Block 3/05.

The block remains subject to an ongoing acquisition process through which Afentra aims to significantly increase its stake.

At the end of March 2026, Agence Ecofin reported that the transaction, initially led by Afentra and Maurel & Prom, has been restructured to include Sonangol as a co-acquirer.

The deal covers the acquisition of stakes held by local company Etu Energias in offshore Blocks 3/05 and 3/05A. Block 3/05 represents a mature offshore asset in Angola, with production estimated at around 21,000 barrels per day, according to official data.

This article was initially published in French by Abdel-Latif Boureima

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum