John Hamilton, CEO of independent exploration and production company Panoro Energy, has joined the African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies 2025 conference – taking place September 29 to October 3 in Cape Town – to discuss strategies for advancing exploration in Africa. With stakes in various strategic blocks in Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, South Africa and Tunisia, the company is well-positioned to share insights into West and Central Africa’s upstream landscape.
Panoro Energy kicked off 2025 with an oil discovery at the Bourdon prospect on the Dussafu block, situated offshore Gabon. The well encountered approximately 34 m of net oil play in a 45 m oil column in the Gamba reservoir, with an appraisal well side-track confirming an additional 11 m of net oil play. Representing the largest hydrocarbon column found to date at Dussafu, the discovery supports estimates of around 56 million barrels of oil in place. Of this, 25 million barrels are considered recoverable. At AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025, Hamilton is expected to share insight into this discovery and its impact on the broader oil and gas landscape in Gabon.
AEW: Invest in African Energies is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Visit http://www.AECWeek.com for more information about this exciting event.
Beyond Gabon, Panoro Energy has stakes in the Ceiba field and Okume Complex, situated in Equatorial Guinea’s Block G. In 2024, Block G operator Trident Energy – alongside its partners Panoro Energy, Kosmos Energy and GEPetrol – brought online the C-45 infill well at the Ceiba field. The well came online in October and was the first of two infill wells drilled a the Ceiba field and Okume Complex. The second well, OF-19, was drilled during the same period. The drilling program aligns with efforts by the block partners to unlock greater value from Equatorial Guinea’s mid-life assets.
Meanwhile, Panoro Energy is also striving to develop Africa’s natural gas reserves. The company was awarded a 100% interest in Technical Cooperation Permit (TCP) 218 in South Africa, situated in the onshore northern Free State province. TCP 218 lies in the prospective Northern Karoo Basin, which boasts a proven natural gas and helium system. The asset is also situated in close proximity to the producing Virginia gas field. In 2024, Panoro Energy applied to secure an exploration right for helium and natural gas in the Karoo Basin. The application involves a three-year exploration work program and builds on preliminary studies conducted as part of the technical cooperation permit granted in 2022. The Karoo Basin boasts some of the world’s highest concentrations of helium ever recorded, and with a proven gas system, holds significant potential for gas discoveries.
During AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025, Hamilton is expected to provide an update on ongoing exploration and production campaigns across the continent. Through his participation in panel discussions, Hamilton is set to share insight into various key topics, including the role independent exploration and production companies play in Africa; strategies for unlocking frontier basins such as Karoo; and the value of partnerships in monetizing the continent’s oil and gas resources.
“With interests in various strategic blocks in West and Central Africa, Panoro Energy is targeting greater production through infrastructure-led exploration. Working closely with national oil companies and international operators, the company continues to unlock significant value from offshore oil and gas assets. The company is a strong example of the role independent exploration and production firms play in Africa,” states Tomás Gerbasio, VP Commercial and Strategic Engagement, African Energy Chamber.
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