• Sonadrill signed two contracts for offshore drilling campaigns starting late 2025.

• Angola’s oil production dropped below 1 million b/d in July, the lowest since 2023.

• New projects and refinery plans aim to reverse declining output and boost capacity.

The Sonadrill joint venture, formed by Seadrill and Angola’s state-owned Sonangol, is preparing to start a new offshore drilling campaign between the third quarter of 2025 and early 2026, according to industry reports published on Monday, August 25.

As part of the plan, the venture signed two contracts. One covers Seadrill’s West Gemini rig, contracted by Sonangol for 284 days. The other, awarded by Azule Energy Angola, a BP and Eni joint venture, assigns the Sonangol Libongos rig for a firm 525 days with extension options.

These contracts extend Sonadrill’s activities in Angola’s deepwater sector, where it currently operates three offshore rigs. The move comes as national oil production continues to fall.

The National Agency of Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels (ANPG) said last week that crude output, usually around 1.1 million barrels per day, fell to 998,757 b/d in July 2025, the lowest level since March 2023. Angola had been producing more than 2 million b/d as recently as 2008. The regulator did not specify reasons for the decline.

Angola is stepping up efforts to slow the drop. In July, TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil launched new exploration studies with ANPG on offshore blocks 17/06 near Luanda and 32/21 in the Lower Congo Basin. The goal is to identify additional reserves near producing fields to help stabilize output and prevent a prolonged fall below the symbolic 1 million b/d threshold.

Other initiatives include advancing projects such as Agogo and building the Cabinda refinery, which will have a capacity of 30,000 b/d, a project designed to raise Angola’s refining capacity and reinforce its regional position.