KEY POINTS
- TotalEnergies has made a new hydrocarbon discovery at the Moho license offshore Congo.
- Combined Moho F and G discoveries hold an estimated 100 million recoverable barrels total.
- TotalEnergies plans to develop the discovery through a tie-back to existing Moho facilities.
TotalEnergies has struck oil again off the coast of the Republic of Congo, posting a new discovery that reinforces its grip on one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s more productive offshore basins and adding volume to a license where the infrastructure to monetize new barrels already sits in place.
The company announced Monday that the MHNM-6 NFW exploration well, drilled on the Moho G structure, cut a hydrocarbon column of roughly 160 meters in Albian reservoirs described as good quality. An extensive data acquisition and sampling campaign followed to evaluate the find and support subsurface interpretation ahead of development planning.
The Albian-age rocks in the Lower Congo Basin are older Cretaceous carbonate and siliciclastic layers known for solid porosity and permeability when conditions favor them. The Moho G results suggest they did. Congo’s oil production has been under pressure from natural decline at maturing fields, making near-field discoveries like this one valuable to both the operator and the national economy.
Two finds, one plan
TotalEnergies is treating Moho G as part of a package rather than a standalone result. Paired with the nearby Moho F discovery announced previously, the two finds carry estimated combined recoverable resources of close to 100 million barrels. Both are earmarked for tie-back development, routed through the existing Moho production hub rather than developed as independent projects.
That hub is already running. The Moho license operates two floating production units, Alima and Likouf, which together produce around 90,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day on a gross basis. Using them as the receiving infrastructure cuts capital requirements and development lead time sharply.
Nicola Mavilla, TotalEnergies’ senior vice president for exploration, said proximity to existing facilities supports a short-cycle, cost-effective development and positions the company for value-accretive production.
Who holds the license
TotalEnergies EP Congo operates the Moho license with a 63.5% working interest. Trident Energy holds 21.5% and the Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo, known as SNPC, carries the remaining 15%. QatarEnergy holds a 15% stake in TotalEnergies EP Congo as a shareholder alongside those positions.
The discovery fits a well-established playbook. The Moho Nord development, completed in phases between 2015 and 2017, demonstrated that the Congolese offshore could sustain major subsea tiebacks at scale. Adding Moho G alongside Moho F keeps that story moving and gives a mature license a credible new chapter.
