BW Energy Approves $300M FID for Bourdon Oilfield in Gabon

On 20 May 2026, Norway’s BW Energy approved the Final Investment Decision (FID) to invest USD 300 million to develop the offshore Bourdon Oilfield in Gabon. The funds will be used to repurpose the Akoum jack-up rig into a wellhead platform. First production is expected by the first quarter of 2028

The Bourdon Oilfield is part of the Dussafu Block and has an estimated reserve of 25 million barrels of recoverable crude oil. In addition to BW Energy, other partners include Panoro Energy (17.5%) and Gabon Oil Company (9%).

The oil is of the light type, which means that it is highly cost-efficient to extract and process. Around the Bourdon Oilfield are other fields with a total estimated reserves exceeding 200 million barrels.

In total, BW Energy projects to invest USD 400 million in the project, of which USD 100 million has already been spent during the exploration phase. The company plans to start off with three production wells with a combined output of 15,000 barrels per day (bpd), but the repurposed platform can accommodate up to 12 wells. The target is to reach 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) by 2028.