The Head of the Upstream Petroleum Unit in Namibia’s Presidency has confirmed that the country is revising its licensing, legal and fiscal frameworks to manage the shift from exploration to production. This comes as major Orange Basin discoveries move toward potential commercial development, including TotalEnergies’ Venus project, Galp’s Mopane discovery, and Shell’s expanded appraisal programme on PEL39, following its strongest well result to date.
The specifics of what will change — and on what timeline — have not yet been detailed publicly. What is clear is that Namibia’s regulators recognise the current framework was built for an exploration-stage industry, and that production-stage projects raise different questions around fiscal terms, approval timelines and local content.
What this means for clients
This evolution of Namibia’s regulatory framework will shape everything from fiscal terms to approval timelines for the projects currently heading toward final investment decisions. For companies with positions in the Orange Basin, or those evaluating entry, the practical question is timing: understanding what changes before your next FID matters as much as the geology itself. Clients should watch closely for detail on the fiscal terms, approval timelines, and local content requirements that emerge from this process.
