Azule Energy signed risk service contracts with Angola’s National Agency for Oil, Gas, and Biofuels, enabling the company to operate three additional offshore blocks.
Collectively, these cover an 8,700-sq-km area in deep and ultradeep waters in the Lower Congo Basin.
Azule, owned jointly by BP and Eni, will have a 40% interest in blocks 46 and 47, in partnership with Equinor and Sonangol Pesquisa e Produção (Sonangol P&P). The company will have an 80% controlling interest in Block 18/15, with the remainder held by Sonangol P&P.
Following the execution last August of the offshore Block 31/21 production sharing agreement, this represents Azule’s second licence award since the company’s formation in August 2022.
Blocks 46 and 47 have not undergone prior exploration, according to CEO Adriano Mongini, who added, “Exploration in Block 18/15 can potentially open a new play and take advantage of the synergies with the production facilities already existing in Block 18.”
Last year, AVEVA began supporting Azule Energy with digital initiatives to cut costs, improve safety, and open new production opportunities using AVEVA’s cloud, software-as-a-service (SaaS), and digital twin technologies. In the first phase of the programme, AVEVA implemented AVEVA Asset Information Management, AVEVA Information Standards Manager, and Assai Cloud for Operations for the FPSOs in offshore blocks 18 and 31 serving the Greater Plutonio and PSVM developments.
In 2022, BP and Eni collaborated to create Azule Energy, a 50:50 independent joint venture, by merging their Angolan businesses.
