Perenco

Central Africa's Pathfinder

Perenco is one of Africa’s most active and technically agile oil & gas operators. With a major presence in Gabon, Cameroon, the DRC, and beyond, the company has played a pioneering role in monetising associated gas, reducing flaring, and investing in gas-to-power, LPG, and LNG infrastructure.

Perenco is arguably the most active private developer of natural gas in Central Africa, with a presence across Gabon, Cameroon, the DRC, Congo-Brazzaville and Chad. Through an integrated, infrastructure-first model, it is unlocking volumes that were historically flared or stranded—transforming gas into electricity, LPG, LNG, and industrial fuel across the region.

Name

Perenco

Incorporation Date

1992

Address

London & Paris

Employees

8670

Business/Services

Perenco is Central Africa's leading independent operator with oil & gas operations in Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Cameroon, D.R. Congo and Chad.

Industry Commitment

“In 2025, Perenco is investing some $2bn globally, out of which 75% is allocated to our African operations.”

-Armel Simondin, CEO

Company Overview

Founded several decades ago, Perenco has evolved into one of the largest family-owned oil & gas companies globally, with operations spanning Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. The company entered the African market in the 1990s and has since become a critical operator in Central and West Africa, particularly in Gabon, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad.

Perenco’s business model prioritises long-term, integrated field development, combining upstream production with midstream processing and export facilities. This has enabled the company to revive under-invested assets, develop previously flared or stranded gas, and pioneer new models for gas-based development in the region.

Upstream Operations

Perenco’s African upstream portfolio spans a mix of onshore, shallow water, and offshore blocks across Gabon, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad, making it one of the most operationally embedded producers in the Gulf of Guinea.

What sets Perenco apart is its commitment to gas monetisation in jurisdictions where others have historically flared or ignored associated gas. In a region where commercial and technical hurdles have long deterred investment in gas infrastructure, Perenco has developed a multi-faceted model that combines technical innovation with commercial pragmatism—turning gas into power, LNG, LPG, and industrial fuel.

Perenco is one of the only operators in the Gulf of Guinea with a comprehensive gas portfolio, spanning:

Power generation (Libreville, Port Gentil, Kribi);
LPG production (Batanga, Gabon; Bipaga, Cameroon);
Floating LNG exports (Hilli Episeyo, Cameroon);
Gas-to-industry initiatives;
Gas reinjection and flare reduction across multiple assets.

By deploying its own infrastructure—compression systems, pipelines, liquefaction plants—Perenco is not only cutting emissions but also creating value from gas volumes that most operators would overlook. This upstream-midstream integration is central to its ability to sustain production in mature fields while supporting domestic energy access and industrialisation.

Gas Infrastructure and Monetisation

Perenco has long been a pathfinder for gas infrastructure development in Central Africa, proving that gas can be commercially viable—even in challenging environments with limited policy support or market readiness. As early as 2006, the company began building out gas infrastructure in Gabon, investing in a 400-kilometre offshore gas gathering network that linked several fields to a central compression station at Batanga. This allowed it to capture and monetise associated gas that would have otherwise been flared, and deliver it to power plants in Libreville and Port-Gentil—replacing diesel, cutting emissions, and setting the template for gas-for-power in the region.

The model was later scaled in Cameroon, where Perenco became the anchor supplier to the 216 MW Kribi power station, commissioned in 2013. This was followed by the launch of Africa’s first floating LNG platform, the Hilli Episeyo FLNG, off the coast of Sanaga South in 2018—positioning Cameroon as the first African country and second globally to deploy FLNG technology. To date, the project has exported over 70 LNG cargoes, showcasing Perenco’s ability to deliver technically complex infrastructure that meets both domestic and export needs.

Now the story comes full circle—back to Gabon, where Perenco’s gas journey first began. The commissioning of the $50 million Bipaga LPG plant in 2023 was just an appetizer for what’s to come. With a capacity of 15,000 tons per year, the plant has already ended Gabon’s LPG import dependence, but more importantly, it signals a much larger transformation now underway.

Building on this foundation, Perenco is spearheading one of Central Africa’s most ambitious gas infrastructure expansions: the development of a new 550-kilometre pipeline network to unlock stranded reserves in southern offshore Gabon. This network will feed into the planned Cap Lopez LNG terminal, which will make Gabon an LNG exporter for the first time, significantly boost domestic LPG supply, and serve as a long-term platform for monetising flared and stranded gas across the region.

Through this progressive, infrastructure-led strategy, Perenco has redefined what’s possible for gas monetisation in the Gulf of Guinea—turning environmental liabilities into strategic energy assets and setting the standard for practical, integrated energy transition in Africa.

Market Position and Future Outlook

As major IOCs retreat from mature African basins, Perenco is positioning itself as the quiet powerhouse of African gas—focused not just on extraction, but on transforming gas into electricity, LPG, LNG, and industrial development.

Perenco’s business model—low-profile, high-impact, infrastructure-first—is increasingly viewed as a blueprint for Africa’s gas future. Its ability to unlock value from mature fields, deploy infrastructure ahead of demand, and deliver tangible domestic benefits sets it apart in a fast-changing energy landscape.

Statistics

Strategic Insights about African Gas

We believe that everyone should have access to comprehensive data on African gas markets. That’s why we are working to compile an Annual Statistical Review: a yearly reference of reliable and up-to-date data and statistics, freely accessible to anyone globally, covering the entire value chain of Africa's gas sector.

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