Oil & Gas Market Research
Southern Africa's oil and gas sector is defined by a small number of large developments — the Mozambique LNG projects in Cabo Delgado, Namibia's Orange Basin discoveries, South African gas-to-power ambitions, and the licensing contest on the Outeniqua and Transkei basins. Meraki Research supports operators, service companies, midstream developers, and financiers with research that reads both the technical pipeline and the political economy around it. We work in the open-source domain on strategy and market questions, not on reservoir engineering.
Why Oil & Gas Research Matters
- The Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Act (UPRDA), signed into law in 2024, has reset the licensing and fiscal framework, and operators are still working out how the regulations will land in practice
- Namibia's Orange Basin has shifted the regional investment centre of gravity, with implications for South African service providers, crew change logistics, and Richards Bay as a supply base
- Mozambique LNG's force majeure and re-engagement timeline drives expectations for Southern African gas supply and for Richards Bay and Matola as landing points
- South African gas-to-power development depends on the interaction between DMRE policy, NERSA licensing, and NTCSA grid access — a three-regulator pathway that is rarely mapped cleanly
- ESG and reputational dynamics around new hydrocarbon development in Africa have tightened, and financiers demand analysis that takes the reputational dimension seriously rather than dismissing it
Our Oil & Gas Research Services
Upstream licensing and fiscal regime analysis
Analysis of South African, Namibian, and Mozambican upstream licensing, fiscal terms, and state participation regimes, with comparable-country benchmarking.
Midstream infrastructure studies
Research on pipeline, storage, LNG terminal, and port infrastructure across Southern Africa, including Richards Bay, Matola, Walvis Bay, and Coega.
Gas-to-power market analysis
Analysis of South African gas-to-power development, including DMRE policy signals, NERSA licensing pathways, and offtake economics.
Service sector and local content research
Market sizing and local content analysis for oilfield services, logistics, and fabrication across Southern African basins.
ESG, community, and reputational research
Stakeholder mapping and social-licence analysis for upstream and midstream developments, covering community engagement, environmental authorisation, and financier expectations.
Downstream and fuels market research
Analysis of refining rationalisation, fuel retailing, and biofuels policy under DMRE's fuels master plan.
How We Approach Research in This Sector
Oil and gas research in Southern Africa requires parallel reading of three things — the technical project pipeline as the operators see it, the regulatory pathway as DMRE, MIREME, and MME see it, and the political and community context as the people around the assets live it. We interview across all three perspectives because none alone captures what determines project timelines. Economic and market modelling is transparent because financiers and operators will test assumptions.
Why Choose Meraki Research for Oil & Gas?
- Coverage of the Southern African oil and gas sector across South Africa, Namibia, and Mozambique, with working relationships in each
- Willingness to assess projects on evidence rather than ideology — pro-hydrocarbon advocacy and climate-risk advocacy both get the same analytical treatment
- Understanding of the regulatory reality in each jurisdiction, including where law on paper and administrative practise diverge
- Analysts who read financier due diligence standards and structure research so that outputs are usable in that context
What We Deliver
| Deliverable | Format | Typical Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Upstream regime report | PDF plus fiscal model | 8–14 weeks |
| Midstream infrastructure report | PDF plus infrastructure map | 8–14 weeks |
| Gas-to-power market study | PDF plus project pipeline | 10–16 weeks |
| Local content and services study | PDF plus supplier database | 10–14 weeks |
| ESG and reputational risk brief | PDF plus stakeholder register | 6–10 weeks |