{"id":9888,"date":"2021-02-15T08:52:52","date_gmt":"2021-02-15T08:52:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oilnewskenya.com\/?p=9888"},"modified":"2021-02-15T08:52:52","modified_gmt":"2021-02-15T08:52:52","slug":"angolas-oil-gas-industry-can-thrive-alongside-its-rich-biodiversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/angolas-oil-gas-industry-can-thrive-alongside-its-rich-biodiversity\/","title":{"rendered":"Angola\u2019s Oil & Gas Industry Can Thrive Alongside its Rich Biodiversity"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Verner Ayukegba, Senior Vice-President at the African Energy Chamber<\/em><\/p>\n

Last month, reports that Angola was drafting legislation to permit oil, gas and mining activities in 14 national conservation areas, including the Luengue-Luiana National Park, which represents part of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area stretching across Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe led to protests by environmentalist groups. Local environmentalists were outraged, likely weary of test drilling that had begun days earlier on the Namibian side of the Okavango Delta, an internationally recognized biodiversity hotspot.<\/p>\n

On January 21, Angola\u2019s Minister of Mineral Resources, Petroleum and Gas, H.E Diamantino Pedro Azevedo responded, providing clarifications in which he noted that, Angola\u2019s existing stringent environmental legislation would be complied with and the interests of local populations would be safeguarded, as the country holds an upcoming public tender for the assessment of several onshore interior basins. Further clarifications have also been provided by Angola\u2019s industry regulator, the\u00a0Ag\u00eancia Nacional de Petr\u00f3leo, G\u00e1s e Biocombust\u00edveis (ANPG)<\/u>.<\/p>\n

“It was necessary to review the legislation on protected areas, but this does not mean the end of biodiversity,” said Minister Azevedo. \u201cThere is a need to explore these resources \u2013 the solution is balance. We are sensitive to environmental issues, but we are also rational. There are those who, for political interests, defend extreme positions, but it is necessary in politics to be rational.\u201d<\/p>\n

As sub-Saharan Africa\u2019s second-largest oil producer, Angola has taken one of the most balanced approaches to global Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards in the region when it comes to oil and gas exploration, placing environmental protections and continued hydrocarbon production on equal footing within its constitution and national agenda. Angola\u2019s 2010 constitution in Articles 12 and 24 explicitly outlines protection for the environment, providing a basis for the country\u2019s Environmental Framework Act.\u00a0According to Article 12,\u2026.. The State shall promote the protection and conservation of natural resources guiding the exploitation and use thereof for the benefit of the community as a whole. \u2026and as per Article 24, All citizens shall have the right to live in a healthy and unpolluted environment. The State shall take the requisite measures to protect the environment and national species of flora and fauna throughout the national territory and maintain ecological balance. Acts that damage or directly or indirectly jeopardise conservation of the environment shall be punishable by law.<\/em><\/p>\n

Offshore exploration, especially during the boom years of 2002 to 2008 made Angola one of the most prized destinations for the oil and gas industry globally. Output rose to nearly 2 Million barrels per day, providing Angola with much needed resources for its post-conflict reconstruction and making the country Africa\u2019s second largest oil producer. These boom years, were also only possible, because Angola provided and continues to provide an environmental framework that is second to none globally. It is industry standard, particularly in a country that is home to all major International Oil Companies, that the highest environmental standards are adhered to when companies engage into exploration projects in Angola. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) plans mandated by Angola\u2019s regulator (Currently the ANPG), are of the highest industry standards, when compared to other basins like Brazil and Mexico. In Angola, these assessments have to comply with a plethora of decrees and regulations that include mandatory public consultations, environmental auditing, restrictions on biodiversity, water and waste management. It is worth mentioning, that no major environmental disasters were registered, and some of the new technologies and exploration techniques developed in Angola under these stringent regulations were exported to other basins for the betterment of the entire industry.<\/p>\n

Of the approximate 520,000 km\u00b2 of sedimentary inner basins of Kassanje and Etosha\/Okavango \u2013 the two regions in question \u2013 only 20% are in protected areas and as little as five percent of protected areas are being considered for responsible exploration and production activities, following the completion of environmental due diligence.<\/p>\n