Successful Luiperd hunt boosts South African gas hopes
Second major discovery improves prospects for bringing gas to market but is no panacea
Successful flow testing of South Africa’s Luiperd gas discovery towards the end of last year was more good news for the prospects of developing the discoveries so far in the country’s offshore block 11B/12B. But the challenges of finding customers and political risk remain. During November testing, the Luiperd 1-X well reached a maximum constrained flowrate of 33mn ft³/d (0.9mn m³/d) of gas and 4,320bl/d of condensate, an aggregate of c.9,820bl/d oe. But the absolute open flow potential of the well is expected to be significantly higher, according to Canadian-listed Africa Energy, a junior 4.5pc partner in the block. Consultancy IHS Markit sees Luiperd reserves in excess of 1bn bl oe, potent
Also in this section
14 April 2026
The GECF has warned it may revise its projections for demand this year downwards in light of conflict in the Middle East, although it maintains its forecasts for 2027 and onwards
13 April 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis highlights sharp shift from crude oversupply to market deficit, with Iraq and Kuwait badly affected and key producers Saudi Arabia and the UAE also seeing output sharply lower
13 April 2026
Turkmenistan is moving ahead with a modest expansion of the giant Galkynysh field to sustain gas deliveries abroad, but persistent delays to other key pipeline projects and geopolitical risks continue to constrain its export ambitions
13 April 2026
Expensive electricity has forced out swathes of energy-intensive industry and now threatens the country’s ability to attract future investment in datacentres and the digital economy
