The Invest In: Orange Sub-Basin Roundtable, set to take place during the 2025 edition of African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies in Cape Town, promises to deliver one of the most anticipated frontier exploration discussions on the continent. As Namibia cements its place as a global exploration hotspot, this high-level session brings together leading voices behind the country’s most exciting offshore developments.
Namibia’s Orange Basin has dominated African upstream headlines since the discovery of light oil at Shell’s Graff and TotalEnergies’ Venus wells in 2022. Fast forward to mid-2025, and Namibia is no longer just an exploration story, but steadily maturing into a development hub. The Venus-1A and Jonker-1X appraisal campaigns have de-risked enormous reserves, with development studies underway at the Venus field, a final investment decision expected in 2026 and first production potentially by the end of the decade. Meanwhile, exploration is ramping up in adjacent blocks, attracting new entrants eager to stake a claim in one of the world’s last great offshore frontiers. Following its successful Capricornus 1-X discovery in April 2025, Rhino Resources is drilling two additional offshore wells on Block 2914, while Chevron is evaluating plans to drill an exploration well in the frontier Walvis Basin.
Moderated by Ian Thom, Research Director of Upstream at Wood Mackenzie, the roundtable will feature expert insights from key stakeholders active in the basin. Travis Smithard, CEO of Rhino Resources, and Robert Bose, CEO of Sintana Energy – whose company is a partner in the Mopane Complex series of oil discoveries in PEL 83 – will provide updates on ongoing activities. Terry Gebhardt, VP of Exploration at Woodside Energy, brings a global perspective while senior representatives from Technip Energies, TGS and Chevron will round out the panel, offering technical and service expertise critical to unlocking the basin’s full potential.
Key topics will include the timeline to first oil, infrastructure requirements for deepwater developments, fiscal and regulatory conditions and how Namibia is working to localize industry benefits. With multibillion-barrel discoveries now confirmed, the challenge is shifting from exploration success to delivery. Panelists will also examine how seismic and subsurface technologies are refining drilling targets, how collaborative models are lowering risk for smaller players and what Namibia can teach other African frontier markets.
“Namibia is proving that African nations can lead the way in energy development when the right mix of policy, partners and persistence is in place,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “The Orange Sub-Basin is more than a discovery story – it’s a blueprint for how frontier markets can attract capital, build capacity and shape a new era of African energy leadership.”
With over 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent already discovered and growing interest from global investors, the Orange Basin is redefining what frontier success looks like in Africa. AEW 2025’s roundtable offers a unique opportunity to hear from those driving this transformation firsthand – outlining not just what has been achieved, but what’s next for one of the world’s most dynamic new energy provinces.