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06 Jul 2026

ExxonMobil Advances Dual-Track Angola Strategy as Brian Unietis Joins AOG 2026

ExxonMobil Advances Dual-Track Angola Strategy as Brian Unietis Joins AOG 2026
ExxonMobil’s evolving upstream strategy in Angola will take center stage at the Angola Oil & Gas (AOG) 2026 conference and exhibition as Brian Unietis, Lead Country Manager of ExxonMobil Angola, joins the event as a featured speaker. His participation comes as the company advances a dual-track strategy centered on maximizing production from existing assets while unlocking new offshore exploration opportunities.

Having assumed leadership of ExxonMobil Angola in late 2025, Unietis now oversees a portfolio entering a period of rapid execution. Under his leadership, ExxonMobil has shifted from primarily managing mature offshore assets toward delivering new production, extending field life and opening entirely new exploration provinces designed to support Angola’s ambition of sustaining crude output above one million barrels per day (bpd).

One of the company’s most significant recent milestones came in April 2026 when ExxonMobil awarded a major EPCI contract to Subsea7 for the Likembe Redevelopment 2.0 Project. The redevelopment will connect additional reservoirs back to existing Block 15 facilities through subsea tiebacks, illustrating the company’s increasing focus on infrastructure-led developments that shorten timelines while improving capital efficiency.

Alongside redevelopment activity, ExxonMobil continues to expand beyond its established producing assets. Earlier this year, the company partnered with TotalEnergies and Angola’s National Agency for Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels to secure exploration rights across multiple blocks in the Benguela and Namibe Basins, two frontier regions expected to underpin Angola’s next generation of offshore discoveries. Geological evaluation also continues following ExxonMobil’s first exploration drilling campaign in the Namibe Basin, while additional subsurface assessments are underway across the Free Areas of Blocks 17/06 and 32/21.

The operational momentum follows a series of major strategic decisions taken shortly after Unietis assumed leadership. ExxonMobil and its Block 15 partners reached a final investment decision last year to extend production from the Mondo and Saxi-Batuque fields. The investment followed the extension of Block 15’s production license through 2037, providing the fiscal certainty needed to unlock further redevelopment opportunities across one of Angola’s most productive offshore assets.

Beyond upstream developments, ExxonMobil continues investing across the wider offshore value chain. The company recently secured a long-term charter agreement with Bourbon Mobility for a new fleet of fuel-efficient crew transfer vessels scheduled to enter service in 2027, while specialized management programs are being deployed to safely manage naturally occurring radioactive material generated from mature offshore operations.

These initiatives form part of ExxonMobil’s broader investment program, centered on maximizing production from existing infrastructure while opening new offshore basins capable of sustaining the country’s production base well into the next decade.

As Angola advances policies designed to attract fresh upstream capital and accelerate offshore development, AOG 2026 – taking place in Luanda from September 9‒10, with a pre-conference day on September 8 – will provide a key forum for government leaders, operators and investors to discuss the sector’s next phase of growth.

Unietis’ participation underscores ExxonMobil’s long-term commitment to Angola and positions the company at the forefront of the country’s strategy to combine mature asset redevelopment, frontier exploration and sustained investment to secure its future as one of Africa’s premier oil producers.

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