Canadian-listed oil and gas company Oregen Energy has appointed renowned petroleum geoscientist Philip Birch as a Strategic Advisor in a move that significantly strengthens the company’s technical credibility as it advances its exploration strategy in Namibia’s Orange Basin. The appointment comes at a critical time for the company following its recent Letter of Intent to evaluate an investment in its local partner Petrovena Energy, which has secured an award letter tied to Block 2812Ab offshore Namibia. As the company advances exploration efforts at the block, Birch’s guidance on subsurface evaluation, seismic interpretation and prospect generation is expected to support the project as it transitions from geological promise to commercial development.
As the voice of the African energy sector, the African Energy Chamber (AEC) welcomes the appointment, describing Birch as one of the most influential exploration minds behind Namibia’s offshore breakthrough. With decades of frontier basin experience, Birch most recently served as Exploration Director at Impact Oil & Gas, where he played a central role in identifying, maturing and advancing the Venus prospect prior to its landmark discovery by TotalEnergies in 2022. The Chamber believes his return to an active strategic role could not come at a more important moment for companies seeking to position themselves within Namibia’s rapidly emerging offshore oil province.
“Philip Birch is a legend in African exploration and one of the technical minds that helped reshape the global industry’s view of Namibia. His work contributed enormously to Africa and especially to Namibia’s offshore success story. Oregen bringing him on board sends a strong signal about the seriousness of its Orange Basin strategy. At a time when Namibia is moving closer to first oil, having one of the architects behind Venus back in the game is a major win for the industry,” stated NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, AEC.
Positioned directly adjacent to TotalEnergies’ Block 2913B, home to the giant Venus discovery, Block 2812Ab is increasingly being viewed as one of the basin’s most strategically positioned frontier assets. The technical significance of the asset lies in its direct geological relationship to Venus and the broader Upper Cretaceous deepwater clastic fairway that has delivered multiple world-class discoveries across Namibia’s offshore sector. The block sits directly on trend with PEL 56 and benefits from substantial geological read-through from nearby discoveries, reducing exploration risk while increasing its long-term commercial attractiveness.
As the technical architect behind the Venus project before TotalEnergies’ farm-in, Birch played a central role in de-risking the project – thereby supporting successful drilling efforts by TotalEnergies. His deep understanding of the Orange Basin’s broader geology and regional fairway is expected to support Oregen as it pursues commercial finds in the neighboring Block 2812Ab.
For Oregen, Birch’s appointment signals the company’s commitment to unlocking additional commercial opportunities across the Orange Basin. It also comes at a time when Venus is fast-approaching first oil production, with a Final Investment Decision on the cards for July 2026 and first oil in 2029. Once operational, Venus is expected to unlock a wave of infrastructure investment, field development and basin-wide consolidation, further strengthening the viability of neighboring assets such as Block 2812Ab.
“As Oregen advances its Orange Basin portfolio, the addition of Birch may prove to be one of the company’s most strategically important decisions yet. His track record speaks for itself. The next step is turning that expertise into another major offshore success story for Namibia,” added Ayuk.
