TotalEnergies aims by mid-2024 to drill an appraisal well — potentially on the abyssal plain — targeting a massive western extension of its Venus oil and gas discovery offshore Namibia.

If this well on what has been dubbed the Venus West structure is a success, it has the potential to help boost recoverable reserves at Venus from 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent — the current estimate by consultancy group Wood Mackenzie — to nearer 10 billion barrels, sources have told Upstream.