Impact eyes double farm-out after South Africa expansion

London-based Impact Oil & Gas bets deepwater exploration has been substantially derisked by nearby mega gas finds

It has been a busy month for Africa-focused E&P firm Impact Oil & Gas. The company agreed to buy a 90pc operating interest in South Africa’s offshore Area 2, sold a 50pc working operating interest in the nearby Transkei and Algoa blocks to Shell, and bought 36.5pc of Canadian independent Africa Energy Corp. The last of these deals makes Impact an indirect stakeholder in South Africa’s block 11B/12B, where Total made its Brulpadda and Luiperd gas discoveries. Brulpadda has an estimated c.2.8-5.5tn ft³ (79.3-155.7bn m3) of gas initially in place and could meet South Africa’s domestic demand for many years, although there are several milestones to pass before it reaches FID. “The Brulpa