CAPE TOWN, April 29 (Reuters) - Namibia's national oil

company has signed a development deal with Chevron ( CVX ) that

will see the U.S. oil major take an 80% operating working

interest in an offshore block in the Walvis Basin, it said on

Monday.

The farm-out agreement with Chevron Namibia Exploration

Limited (CNEL) will see the National Petroleum Corporation of

Namibia (NAMCOR) and local company Custos Energy each retain a

10% interest in petroleum exploration license 82.

Oil companies are flocking to Namibia, excited by the

southern African country's plans to open up a major new frontier

basin with recent offshore finds ranking among the largest this

century.

"Our partnership with CNEL and Custos Energy represents a

shared vision for the future of Namibia's energy landscape,"

Ebson Uanguta, interim managing director of NAMCOR, said in a

statement.

Namibia, which has yet to produce any oil or gas, has become

an exploration hotspot after offshore discoveries by

TotalEnergies and Shell, and is planning for

its first output by 2030.