Following the discovery of hydrocarbons in the offshore Venus Field in 2022, TotalEnergies, in a joint venture with Namcor and QatarEnergy, is now advancing towards the development of the oil field.
As part of this process, the oil company held an environmental consultation in Windhoek.
Located in deep waters approximately 300 km from Oranjemund, 320 km from Lüderitz, and 700 km from Walvis Bay, the Venus field is considered a major asset with the potential to significantly boost Namibia's oil and gas industry.
To ensure transparency and community involvement, the joint venture has launched a national environmental consultancy campaign, aimed at gathering public feedback and assessing the project's potential impact. The consultation sessions kicked off in Lüderitz and are scheduled to continue across various regions.
Young Namibians from diverse backgrounds participated in the community event, eager to learn about the oil and gas sector. Field facilitators provided insight into the different phases of the Venus project, from exploration to development.
NAMCOR's Field Development Manager, Petrus Sindimba, emphasised the importance of public engagement in such large-scale projects and reassured attendees of the job opportunities they would create.
"The co-existence of this industry will be key, and of course, it will happen in the southern part of the country. We've seen historical trends in some of the regions that are underdeveloped, so how can we perhaps let local people benefit from the activities that are within their borders? We have seen there was a time when there was an impact of fisheries sectors on employment; at some point, some people were retrenched, and people complained that the sector was actually creating unemployment, but for us, we see that this is now that opportunity where the kid who is from the south, perhaps, can have some hope in terms of participating in an economic activity."
He further highlighted the substantial investment tied to the project and its potential to significantly contribute to Namibia's gross domestic product.
"We think that it is important for people to understand the importance of this project to the GDP because this is a new industry that is going to come up. It should complement the already existing industry in terms of what it can do for the local economy, so understanding the magnitude of the project and what kind of role it's going to play in the economy is really key, as is how we are going to manage the environment, the people and so forth."