🇳🇦NamibiaSouthern Africa
Oregen Energy appoints geoscientist Phil Birch as strategic adviser
via The Namibian2 min read
Canadian investment firm Oregen Energy has appointed Phil Birch, a geoscientist credited with the discovery of TotalEnergies’ offshore Namibia Venus prospect, as its strategic adviser. Oregen Energy recently acquired a stake in Petrovena’s license for oil block 2712A in the Orange Basin. Birch, who retired from Impact Oil and Gas last year, expressed enthusiasm for joining Oregen, stating his interest in assisting whoever licensed the block. His involvement in Namibian exploration began in the early 2010s with Black Star Petroleum, a company he owned. Black Star Petroleum aimed to explore along the west coast of Africa and eventually partnered with Knowledge Katti, who held the license for the block. Due to a lack of funds for a full exploration campaign, Black Star was acquired by Impact Oil and Gas. Birch estimated that drilling the prospect would cost at least US$100 million. Despite initial rejections from major oil companies, Impact Oil and Gas eventually convinced TotalEnergies to farm in. In February 2022, TotalEnergies announced a significant discovery of light oil on the block. Birch believes that oil and gas could be transformative for Namibia, emphasizing the importance of managing the resources fairly to benefit as many Namibians as possible and to build other industries.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Namibian.
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Must ReadBetween 1904 and 1908, tens of thousands of Ovaherero and Nama people were killed under German colonial rule in what is recognized as one of the 20th century's first genocides. Despite its scale, the material and human legacy of this event remains less understood than later atrocities. Historical accounts are often incomplete or shaped by colonial perspectives. The landscapes of Namibia that bear witness to this violence are threatened by urban expansion, infrastructure development, and environmental changes. Archaeological research is crucial for documenting and protecting this heritage. The Centre of Archaeology at the University of Huddersfield, in collaboration with community representatives, Forensic Architecture, Forensis, and the Swakopmund Genocide Museum, has conducted fieldwork in Namibia. Their work focuses on sites linked to German colonial concentration camps at Swakopmund and Lüderitz. Using forensic methods, the project aims to locate, document, and protect burial sites associated with the genocide, demonstrating how archaeology can confirm historical events, provide physical evidence, support commemoration, and strengthen claims for reparations. The research combines archival study with field methods such as GIS mapping, walkover surveys, ground penetrating radar, GPS surveys, drone imagery, and targeted excavation. Crucially, it involves close collaboration with Ovaherero and Nama communities, whose priorities have shaped the research and discussions around s