LNG

Italian major Eni said it had begun to introduce feed gas into the “Tango FLNG” floating production plant ahead of the shipping of the first cargo in a project located offshore the Republic of Congo in West Africa.

Mozambique, the newest liquefied natural gas exporter, has voted for the creation of a Sovereign Wealth Fund similar to that in oil and gas producing nation Norway to make sure the Mozambican people benefit from current and future LNG expansions led by major international energy companies.

Subsea 7 SA, the Oslo-listed oil and gas field services company, was awarded a large contract by Azule Energy in the framework of the Agogo Integrated West Hub Development Project offshore Angola in southwest Africa.

The contract scope includes the transport and installation of around 98 kilometres of flexible pipes, 30km of umbilicals and associated subsea structures in water depths of around 1,700 metres.

UK major BP and Italian energy company Eni agreed to form the 50-50 joint venture company Azule Energy a year ago in early March 2022 in the LNG-producing African state.

Azule Energy was set up as the new holding entity for the Angolan assets of both BP and Eni.

“Project management and engineering have commenced and will be managed from Subsea 7's offices in Angola, France, UK and Portugal,” said Subsea 7.

Fabrication will take place at the Sonamet yard in Lobito, Angola, and offshore operations are planned between the fourth quarter 2024 and the fourth quarter of 2025.

“We are pleased to have our first contract with Azule Energy and to continue supporting the development of the Angolan offshore energy industry,” said Franck Louvety, Subsea 7 Vice President for Africa, the Middle East and Caspian regions.

Record

Subsea7 noted that it had been working for over 40 years in Angola and has an important track record in-country.

The company also said it defined a “large contract” as being between $300 million and U$500M.

Since its formation Azule has become Angola’s largest producer, holding stakes in 16 licences, as well as participating in the Angola LNG joint venture.

The European energy companies have embarked on giving Azule a strong pipeline of new projects starting up over the next few years, including the new Agogo project awarded to Subsea 7.

Azule is also leading the development of the New Gas Consortium (NGC), the first non-associated gas project in the country, which will support the energy needs of Angola’s growing economy, its decabonization path and strengthen its role as a global LNG player.

Angola is already the second-largest oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa and uses associated gas to produce LNG sourced at its liquefaction plant, operated by the main shareholder, the US major Chevron Corp.

Eni and BP are also shareholders in Angola LNG along with France’s TotalEnergies and the Angolan state energy company Sonangol.

The Angola LNG plant is located 350 kilometres north of the capital Luanda in Soyo, at the mouth of the Congo River, and is one of the world’s most modern LNG processing facilities.

A pipeline network of over 500 kilometres delivers gas from offshore oil fields to the Soyo plant designed to process 1.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day and produce 5.2 million tonnes per annum of LNG.

Italian energy company Eni has signed a contract with China’s Wison Heavy Industry shipyard for the construction and installation of a floating liquefied natural gas production unit offshore the Republic of Congo and the second proposed FLNG venture for the West African nation.

The Government of Algerian said it intended to increase its natural gas supplies to Italy to reach a total of around 27 billion cubic metres by the end of 2022.

Italian energy company Eni has strengthened its presence in future LNG importer Vietnam through the acquisition of Block 115, located in the Song Hong basin and the nearby Ken Bau natural gas and condensate discovery.

Eni acquired a 100 percent interest in the Block from Krisenergy, an independent upstream company focused on the production and development of oil and gas in the basins of Southeast Asia.

“The acquired Block is adjacent to Block 114 where the operator Eni Vietnam and its partner Essar Exploration and Production Limited have recently announced the Ken Bau gas and condensate discovery currently under appraisal,” explained Eni.

Milan-based Eni said the new acreage also borders Block 116, operated by Eni Vietnam with a 100 percent participating interest.

The Block covers an area of 7,382 square kilometres with a water depth ranging from 90 metres to 1,000 metres.

“Eni's presence in the country is further strengthened with this acquisition, consolidating its position in the recently discovered Ken Bau play, in line with the strategy of expanding  its gas portfolio in the Far East,” said Eni.

Eni has been present in Vietnam since 2013, and currently operates five blocks all located in the under-explored Song Hong and Phu Khanh basins.

Vietnam is currently developing about half-a-dozen LNG and power projects with overseas partners to try and keep pace with future energy needs to enable its economic expansion.

The leading LNG import projects include the Quang Ninh LNG-for-power venture owned by a partnership comprising PetroVietnam, Tokyo Gas and Marubeni Corp.

Vietnam is also developing another terminal involving US major ExxonMobil Corp. at the port city of Haiphong.

Another Vietnamese LNG-for-power venture is being developed by Singapore-based company Delta Offshore Energy and partners in Bac Lieu province in the Mekong Delta of south Vietnam.

Other ventures are planned for Ninh Thuan province, south of Cam Ranh Bay, and at Long An, also on the Mekong Delta. 

Italian energy company Eni said it signed a new long-term contract for the purchase of 1.5 million tonnes per annum of LNG from the Nigeria LNG plant at Bonny Island on the Niger Delta.

Vietnam has logged another natural gas discovery in the offshore Song Hong Basin in a prospect explored by Italian energy company Eni and Essar Oil of India as the Vietnamese also advance with two LNG import projects.