Chevron reports first oil at new platform offshore Angola

Chevron’s South N’dola Platform in Angola delivered first oil in December, just over two years after construction on the platform began.

The South N’dola Platform is in Block 0, the offshore reservoir in Angola that is responsible for 12% of the country’s daily energy output.
“Underpinned by the prolific Block 0, safely achieving first oil at South N’dola is the latest example of Chevron’s efforts to maximise production from our existing offshore assets in Angola,” Chevron offshore business president Brent Gros said.

The company said it took advantage of spare capacity in its existing infrastructure to make the development of the South N’dola field more efficient and cost-effective.

"The new platform uses a field-to-production-facility tieback. The tieback connects to the nearby Mafumeira facility, where the oil and gas the platform produces are processed and then pumped to the terminal for export. This approach helps eliminate the need for separate oil and gas processing equipment at South N’dola."

Chevron has been operating in Angola for more than 70 years. Today, the company operates two offshore tracts in Angola, Block 0 and deepwater Block 14, through a wholly owned subsidiary, Cabinda Gulf Oil Co Ltd.

In 2025, ABC Maritime chief offshore officer, George Horsington, predicted that, “Africa is going to be probably the single biggest growth market in the next five years” at Riviera’s Annual Offshore Support Journal Conference in London in February 2025. And Angola and Nigeria are the region’s largest markets. At the time, there were about 30 drilling rigs, 40 FPSOs and 200 OSVs active in West Africa, by Mr Horsington’s count.