Contact details:
BP Exploration Angola
Edificio Torres do Carmo – Torre 2, Rua Lopes de Lima
Trav. Americo Boavida
Luanda
Angola
Tel: +244222637666
BP in Angola
BP is committed to build a safe, reliable and sustainable operating company in Angola that enhances BP's exploration and production returns and contributes to the social and economic development of Angola.
BP in Angola is one of the fastest growing businesses in BP’s E&P portfolio.
BP’s links with Angola date back to the 1970-’s. In the 1990-’s BP gained substantial offshore deep and ultra-deep water interests in the Lower Congo basin following a merger with Amoco. BP acquired further interests in five new deep and ultra-deep water blocks in the Kwanza and Benguela basins in 2011, giving the company a leading position in Angola with interests in nine blocks accounting for a total acreage of 32,650Km2, and making the Angola Region one of the most important assets in BP’s exploration and production portfolio. BP has to date invested more than $27 billion in its Angola assets and intends to continue its investment in exploration and development in the future.
Our Operations
BP is the operator of blocks 18 and 31 in the deep and ultra-deep waters of the Congo basin, and blocks 19 and 24 in the deep waters of the Kwanza and Benguela basins. BP is a non-operating partner in blocks 15 and 17 in the deep waters of the Congo basin, in blocks 20, 25 and 26 in the deep waters of the Benguela and Kwanza basins, as well as the Angola LNG project in Soyo.
Safety, health and security
Everything BP aims to do as a company relies upon the safety of our operations, workforce and the communities around us.
Safety is our top priority - driven by our leadership and applied through our operating management system. We strive to create and maintain safe and healthy working environments and to apply robust operating and maintenance practices at our facilities.
We take a rigorous approach to the management of risk with the goal of delivering strong safety performance.
Like other operating businesses across BP, we in BP Angola are accountable for delivering safe, reliable and compliant operations, with responsibility for identifying and managing risks and bringing together people with the right skills and competencies. Deployed safety specialists hold the authority to guide and, if needed, intervene in technical and operational activities. Safety and operational risk (S&OR) staff also monitor operations with the aim of making sure that operations comply with the group’s operating management system.Day-to-day risk identification and management occurs in our operations and functions. We assess and manage the range of operating risks we face with reference to our operating management system. We take action to improve the management of risk where necessary and carry out quarterly risk assessments which include major accident risk and other potentially high-consequence risks.
Environment
BP is working to avoid, minimize and mitigate environmental impacts wherever we do business.
Throughout the life cycle of our projects and operations, we aim to manage environmental impacts and address any related impacts on local communities. We manage the environmental and social impacts of our operations and projects through our operating management system (OMS). This helps our businesses around the world to manage their impacts throughout the entire operational life cycle.
In Angola, our principal operations are located offshore, more than 100 kilometres from centres of population. Our health, safety, security and environment (HSSE) policy sets out our aspirations for HSSE performance in our operations. Potential environmental impacts from our activities fall mainly in the following areas:
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Waste generation, management and disposal: Hazardous and non-hazardous wastes are produced from floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) operations, rigs and logistics sites.
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Operational discharges: These include drill cuttings generated when we drill into the seabed to construct a well. Mud or drilling fluids may adhere to the cuttings and when disposed at sea may settle down and deposit on the seabed. The main process discharge from the FPSOs is warm seawater from the cooling system containing traces of chemicals. From time to time, produced water with some oil may also be discharged, depending on the volumes produced and the status of the facilities.
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Air emissions: These are generated mainly from the combustion of fuels in power generation for drilling, marine vessels, FPSO operations, fugitive emissions, well clean-up and testing operations.
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Accidental spills: If an incident occurs and oil or chemicals are released to the environment, those substances have the potential to pollute the waters and land, affecting flora and fauna as well as users who depend on these resources.
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Underwater noise: This results from vertical seismic profiling carried out during drilling operations and regional seismic surveys during exploration. The noise induced in the water column has the potential to affect marine fauna. Potential effects on marine mammals are of particular concern.
Society
We believe that societies and communities where we work should benefit from our presence. We support social investment initiatives that strengthen the capabilities of Angola’s people and institutions.
Our social investment strategy
BP is committed to building a safe and reliable operating company in Angola that contributes to the social and economic development of the country. We engage with stakeholders such as community and religious organisations, the Angolan government, non-governmental organisations, academics and aim to form strategic partnerships that generate mutually beneficial outcomes. We and our partners contribute to projects that help to build local capability. Education and enterprise development are critical for economic growth, social development, poverty reduction and social integration, while health, safety and environment are important elements in the sustainable development of the country. We therefore support a number of projects and initiatives in these areas, in partnership with government, local communities and institutions. We make sure that our support is aligned with our business objectives and complements government programmes while meeting community needs. We are mindful too, that our stakeholders want us to support projects that help achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals, a set of eight initiatives to tackle global challenges such as poverty, hunger and disease.
Investing in people
A common theme across our social programmes is investment in people. We seek to promote education and build capability at various levels, to develop human resources, enhance the capability of local companies, and promote institutional and social development. This also includes initiatives to reduce poverty, promote social inclusion and environmental conservation. This approach aims to get local people and businesses more closely involved with our business activities, helping to develop their skills and experience. Social and economic development and stability in Angola are important factors for our shareholders and our continuing business success. We also make sure that we carry out social projects in rural areas away from our operational activities, where social and economic challenges are more severe. Our civil society stakeholders have told us that addressing challenges outside the capital city is an important concern.
Our partnership approach
We work in partnership with NGOs, government institutions and local communities with the goal of making the projects we support efficient, sustainable and valuable to the beneficiaries. We seek alignment with government strategy and community priorities and involve stakeholders in our plans. We provide funding, expertise and partnerships to make the most significant impact we can. We couple their views with our insight into government strategy and community concerns as well as our business objectives. We pay special attention to developing the human and institutional capability of the organisations we work with. We seek to ensure the potential beneficiaries of our projects are directly involved so that they have a stake and a role in making the projects work. This participative approach encourages the engagement of various stakeholders, such as implementing partners, beneficiaries, government, academia, religious organisations, NGOs and the private sector. Projects financed by BP within our portfolio are identified and drawn up by implementing partners under framework guidance that we provide. The process involves a direct relationship between all parties in which BP evaluates the proposals and provides support to set goals and performance indicators.
Our social projects
Over the past decade, BP has invested millions of dollars in social initiatives to support the development of Angolan communities. In 2014, we spent approximately $10 million on community programmes.This is in addition to the employee benefits and wages that we pay, and the taxes we pay to government.
