Chevron has confirmed an oil and gas condensate discovery at the 105-4X exploration well in Block 0, offshore Angola, marking the latest success in its broader exploration campaign across Sub-Saharan Africa. The well, operated by Chevron’s wholly owned subsidiary Cabinda Gulf Oil Company Limited (CABGOC), encountered more than 2,000 feet of oil and gas condensate column, including more than 300 feet of net pay in what the company described as “excellent reservoir quality.”
Kevin McLachlan, Chevron’s vice president of exploration, said the early results are encouraging and that additional work will help determine the resource’s full potential and possible development opportunities. The company’s lead teams will now assess whether the discovery can be developed using nearby facilities, as new discoveries often become more competitive when they can be tied to existing infrastructure.
The 105-4X well was drilled in the Lower Congo Basin, an area Chevron targeted because of its proven geology and the company’s decades of experience in Angola. Chevron has operated in the country since the 1930s through its subsidiaries, began exploration and production activities in 1954 and made its first offshore discovery in 1966.
The discovery follows another recent milestone in the region: the South N’dola Platform, also located in Block 0, delivered first oil in December 2025, just over two years after construction began. Chevron said the Angola discovery is part of a broader exploration campaign across Sub-Saharan Africa, where it currently produces around 300,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day net.
McLachlan said every successful well adds information, confidence and potential pathways for future growth. “Discoveries create value when they combine resource potential with a practical path to development. The opportunity we’re evaluating in Angola reflects both, and it reinforces our confidence in the broader exploration portfolio we’re building,” he said.
Chevron has expanded its position in Sub-Saharan Africa through new acreage and recent exploration successes in Nigeria, including farm-ins to PPL2000 and PPL2001 and the award of deepwater block PPL2010. The company has recorded three near-field exploration successes in Nigeria since late 2024, Meji NW-1, South Delta AA and Awodi-07, and is continuing exploration and appraisal activity.
Additional exploration activity is planned across the region, including Namibia, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea. Chevron is preparing a multi-well exploration campaign that includes plans to drill the Nabba-1X exploration well on PEL90 offshore Namibia before the end of 2026, while also pursuing additional exploration offshore Angola in Blocks 49 and 50, Block 33 and Block 14/23.