Petroleum Affairs

The Directorate of Petroleum Affairs ensures that there is adequate supply of petroleum products to the nation and minimise the negative impact of petroleum resources explotation on the environment and contribute to the creation of value for society fom petroleum activities.


The Directorate of Petroleum Affairs comprises of the following divisions:

Difference between upstream and downstream:

The upstream sector includes the searching for potential underground or underwater crude oil and natural gas fields, drilling of exploratory wells, and subsequently drilling and operating the wells that recover and bring the crude oil and/or raw natural gas to the surface.

Downstream includes all work done at the refinery, distillation, cracking, reforming, blending storage, mixing and shipping. The case of heavy oil processing (oil sands etc.) and gas plant operation tend to cross the boundaries somewhat.

The mandate of Petroluem Affairs is to ensure the adequate and affordable petroluem supply in a sustainable manner taking advantage of our natural resources in support of the nation's socio-economic development.

OBJECTIVE
Petroleum Affairs Directorate main objectives have been defined to ensure adequate supply of petroleum products to the nation and minimise the negative impact of petroleum resources exploitation on the environment and contribute to the creation of value for society from petroleum activities by:

  • Initiating policy and legislation for petroleum exploration, development and production in Namibia.
  • Promoting of petroleum activities in the country
  • Conducting geological and geophysical researches related to petroleum exploration
  • Participating in license negotiation and awards
  • Monitoring the activities of oil companies carrying out petroleum exploration , development, production and distribution in the country
  • Building national capacity in the petroleum sector
  • Creating a conducive investment climate and to ensure that petroleum security of supply is achieved in a country.
  • Ensuring that fuel (controlled products) prices are regulated, adjusted and equalized accordingly.