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Last month, reports that Angola was drafting legislation allowing oil, gas and mining activities in 14 national conservation areas, including Luengue-Luiana National Park, which is part of the Kavango Transboundary Conservation Area. -Zambezi which spans Angola, Namibia and Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe have led to protests by environmental groups. Local environmentalists were outraged, probably tired of test drilling that had started days earlier on the Namibian side of the Okavango Delta, an internationally recognized biodiversity hotspot.
On January 21, the Angolan Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, HE Diamantino Pedro Azevedo, responded, providing clarifications in which he noted that the stringent environmental legislation in force in Angola would be respected and that the interests of local populations would be safeguarded, because the country is holding an upcoming public tender for the evaluation of several inland terrestrial basins. Additional details were also provided by the Angolan industry regulator, Agência Nacional de Petróleo, Gás e Biocombustíveis (ANPG)
“It was necessary to review the legislation on protected areas, but this does not mean the end of biodiversity,” said Minister Azevedo. “There is a need to explore these resources – 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 in politics you have to be rational.
As the second largest oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa, Angola has adopted one of the most balanced approaches to global environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards in the region when it comes to oil exploration and gas, the implementation of environmental protections and the continuation of the production of hydrocarbons. on an equal footing in its constitution and national agenda. Angola’s 2010 constitution in Articles 12 and 24 explicitly describes environmental protection, providing a basis for the country’s framework environmental law. According to article 12… .. The State shall promote the protection and conservation of natural resources by guiding their exploitation and use for the benefit of the community as a whole.… And according to article 24, all citizens have the right to live in a healthy and unpolluted environment. The State takes the necessary measures to protect the environment and the national species of flora and fauna throughout the national territory and to maintain the ecological balance. Acts which directly or indirectly affect or compromise the conservation of the environment are punishable by law.
Offshore exploration, especially during the boom years 2002-2008, has made Angola one of the most popular destinations for the oil and gas industry in the world. Production has risen to nearly 2 million barrels per day, providing Angola with the resources essential for its post-conflict reconstruction and making the country the country’s second-largest oil producer. These years of prosperity were only possible because Angola provided and continues to provide an environmental framework unparalleled at the global level. It is the industry standard, especially in a country that is home to all of the major international oil companies, that the highest environmental standards be met when companies engage in exploration projects in Angola. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) plans mandated by the Angolan regulator (currently the ANPG) are of the highest industry standards, compared to other basins like Brazil and Mexico. In Angola, these assessments must comply with a plethora of decrees and regulations that include mandatory public consultations, environmental audits, restrictions on biodiversity, water and waste management. It should be noted that no major environmental disasters have been recorded and that some of the new exploration technologies and techniques developed in Angola under these strict regulations have been exported to other basins for the good of the whole. Of the industry.
Of the approximately 520,000 km² of inland sedimentary basins of Kassanje and Etosha / Okavango – the two regions in question – only 20% are in protected areas and as little as 5% of protected areas are considered for exploration and responsible production processes, following the completion of environmental due diligence.
Yes – the proposed law will have implications for protected areas. It aims to further ensure their protection while advancing the oil and gas activity in the country in a responsible manner and in accordance with the Angolan constitution., The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) – carried out in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Environment – aims to ensure the protection of the rich biodiversity of Angola. By identifying and assessing the impact of potential projects on the given ecosystem, as well as presenting appropriate mitigation measures, the EIA serves as a tool to make informed environmental decisions regarding the division, l allocation and development of resource-rich basins. In addition, exploration activities will be prioritized in areas outside the environmental protection zones and drilling will only be undertaken if no or minimal impact on the ecosystem is observed.
It should be noted that surface samples of crude oil and gas have already been collected in parts of the inland basins of Kassanje and Etosha / Okavango, in which there is a high probability of the presence of hydrocarbons. Refusing to acquire additional geological knowledge about the region not only erodes the basic principle of resource sovereignty – that every state has the right to know the resources existing in its territory – but also attempts to make a unilateral decision on behalf of the larger population.
The foundations for the bill have been laid both in the National Development Plan 2018-2022 and in the revised 2020-2025 hydrocarbon exploration strategy – authorized by Presidential Decree 282/20 – which aims to intensify, seek and geologically assess concessions and sediment free areas. basins.
In this regard, the Angolan regulator ensures stability and transparency, which is in stark contrast to other large hydrocarbon producers where the regulation is politically motivated and does not always ensure environmental considerations. For example, the former president US Donald Trump authorized the lease to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge – 1,790 km² of protected ecosystem in Alaska – two weeks before stepping down, while newly elected President Joe Biden responded with an immediate moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands. Angola seeks to establish a long-term institutional framework that takes into account environmental considerations and ensures that hydrocarbon exploration is carried out in a socially responsible manner as it occurs.
Given the growing role of ESG criteria in reducing risk and attracting global investors – coupled with increasing pressure on energy companies to ‘green’ their portfolios – multinational oil and gas companies and the Agency Angolan national oil, gas and biofuels are fully aware of the implications of fossil fuels. fuel investments for their businesses and the country. As a result, the ANPG, under the leadership of industry veteran Paulino Jerónimo, and multinationals have strengthened their commitment to ensure environmental due diligence, conduct impact studies, implement conservation measures. stricter environment and to prevent or eliminate oil spills, water pollution, carbon emissions and habitat disturbance associated with oil and gas drilling. In other words, the decision to develop an area will not be taken lightly, and Angola will not pursue any development without considering the interests of local communities and the environmental impact of such development.
By Verner Ayukegba, Senior Vice President of the African Energy Chamber
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