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QatarEnergy has partnered with Shell and Sonangol E&P to secure exploration rights in two offshore Angolan blocks under a heads of agreement signed with the National Agency for Oil, Gas and Biofuels. The company will hold a 30 percent working interest in Blocks 8 and 22 in the Kwanza Basin with Shell serving as operator at 50 percent and Sonangol holding 20 percent. The arrangement remains subject to governmental approvals in Angola and completion of final contractual terms, QatarEnergy said in a statement. This marks the Qatari firm’s first upstream entry into the southern African nation.
Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs and QatarEnergy president and CEO, commented on the development in the company’s announcement. “QatarEnergy is pleased to sign this agreement and to establish a presence in the energy sector of the Republic of Angola as part of our international upstream exploration strategy and growth efforts,” Al-Kaabi stated. “We would like to thank the Angolan authorities, and our partners Shell and Sonangol, for their cooperation and support. We look forward to a longstanding and fruitful partnership,” he added.
The agreement was signed in Luanda on the sidelines of the Angola Oil and Gas Conference, Qatar News Agency reported. The event also saw the National Agency for Oil, Gas and Biofuels conclude several additional offshore pacts including risk service contracts for Blocks 19, 34 and 35 with Shell, Equinor and Sonangol, according to an Angola Oil and Gas assessment. These steps build on a November 2025 framework covering 17 deepwater and ultra-deepwater blocks across the Kwanza and Congo Basins.
QatarEnergy has expanded its global upstream portfolio through multiple agreements signed during 2025 and 2026 in countries including Namibia, Guyana, Suriname and Libya, the company has stated in separate announcements. The moves form part of a sustained push to grow exploration and production holdings while maintaining its core liquefied natural gas leadership from facilities in Qatar. Such international ventures enable the firm to apply its technical capabilities across diverse geological settings.
Angola continues to promote its offshore basins to international oil companies through licensing initiatives managed by the National Agency for Oil, Gas and Biofuels in a bid to arrest production declines recorded in recent years, industry reports indicate. Similar contracts formalized at the conference include initial exploration periods of up to five years with commitments for seismic reprocessing and at least one exploration well. The latest deals are expected to support renewed activity in Angola’s deepwater acreage once all approvals are secured.
