Namibia says it wasn't notified of TotalEnergies and Petrobras deal for offshore licence

Namibia has slammed an offshore exploration deal between TotalEnergies and Petrobras in the Luderitz basin, saying the government has not been notified, as required by law.

The two oil giants announced on Friday that they’d each acquired stakes in an exploration licence for an offshore field within Namibia’s territorial waters.

Namibia’s national oil company Namcor would hold 10 percent stakes alongside the French and Brazilian companies, according to Total’s press release.

Namibia’s ministry of industries, mines and energy said on Sunday that it wasn’t notified of the sale and that any transfer of licence requires the prior approval of the minister.

The exploration license concerns an area of around 11,000 km2 in the Luderitz Basin.

Interest in oil and gas exploration off the coast of southern Africa has surged in recent years, driven in part by major discoveries offshore from Namibia.