Perenco Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to Showcase Sustainable African Energy Investment at Invest in African Energy Forum Paris

Benoît de la Fouchardière, CEO of independent Anglo-French oil and gas company Perenco will join African policymakers and energy companies at the Invest in African Energy Forum Paris, providing insight into the independent’s African exploration agenda and connecting with new opportunities emerging across the continent. Scheduled for June 1 at the Westin Paris Vendome, the Paris edition of the Invest in African Energy Forum will unite African energy stakeholders with French, European and global investors to discuss and exploit opportunities within the continent’s entire energy value chain.

Representing one of Africa’s key energy players driving the continent towards the full monetization of its vast oil and gas resources, the presence of Fouchardière at the Invest in African Energy Forum Paris will be crucial for showcasing the high returns on investment available in African oil and gas as well as the role these resources continue to play in meeting global energy security, driving economic development while accelerating a just and inclusive energy transition.

Perenco, under the leadership of Fouchardière and through large-scale exploration, production and commercialization projects in Gabon, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of the Congo has played an instrumental part in stabilizing and expanding Africa’s oil market. In mid-2022, the independent acquired Glencore’s entire upstream oil interest in Chad which includes large untapped reservoirs in the Badila and Mangara fields. In late 2022, Perenco also made a massive oil discovery offshore the Republic of Congo in the Pointe Noire Grand Fond Sud license as part of the company’s commitment to African industry expansion. In the DRC, Perenco remains the only oil company operating in the country, with a daily production of 25,000 barrels of oil, while investing in new wells.

“The presence and participation of Fouchardière at the Invest in African Energy Forum Paris will enable the company to provide insight into current projects and growth plans”

On the gas front, Perenco continues to amplify the continent’s gas market expansion agenda with a series of large-scale investments in exploration, production and infrastructure build up. In April 2023, Perenco signed an agreement with the Gabonese Ministry of Oil and Gas to co-develop a state-of-the-art gas-fired power plant which will enable the Central African country to maximize the exploitation of its estimated 1.2 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves to meet its electricity needs. This followed the company reaching a milestone within Gabon’s energy industry with the announcement of a $1 billion Final Investment Decision for the development of the 700,000-ton Cap de Lopez liquefied natural gas facility. Meanwhile, as the largest operator in Cameroon, Perenco is playing a crucial role in diversifying the country’s energy mix with mixture of oil and gas production.

With Africa seeking to boost oil and gas investments, development and exploitation in partnership with French, European and global investors to achieve energy security, companies such as Perenco will continue to be crucial partners. In this regard, the presence and participation of Fouchardière at the Invest in African Energy Forum Paris will enable the company to provide insight into current projects and growth plans across Africa’s oil and gas sector, therefore making clear the robust opportunities available for independents in Africa.

“The Chamber looks forward to hosting Benoît de la Fouchardière at the Invest in African Energy Forum Paris where he will showcase the company’s ongoing progress across Africa’s energy industry. While global energy transition related policies have impacted African oil and gas projects, Perenco, under the leadership of Fouchardière, has stood by and supported Africa’s prospects of achieving energy reliability and industrialization on the back of oil and gas exploitation and invested in projects to combat energy poverty and championed local content in all activities,” stated NJ Ayuk, the Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. 

At the Invest in African Energy Forum Paris, Fouchardière will participate in high-level panel discussions, exclusive networking and deal signings which will shape the growth of Africa’s oil and gas sector for decades to come.