Italy's Eni launches Congo LNG export project
Eni and the government of Congo on April 25 launched the Congo LNG project, the country's first natural gas liquefaction project that is expected to reach a production capacity of 3mn metric tons/year by 2025. The president of the Republic of the Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, and the CEO of Eni, Claudio Descalzi, laid the foundation stone of the project.
Congo LNG will exploit the gas resources of the Marine XII block, fulfilling the country’s power generation needs while also fuelling LNG exports, supplying new volumes of gas to international markets focusing on Europe, Eni said in a statement.
The project will see the installation of two FLNG units at the Nenè and Litchendjili fields – already in production – and at the fields yet to be developed. The first FLNG plant, currently under conversion and with a capacity of 0.6mn mt/yr, will begin production in 2023. The second FLNG plant – already under construction – will become operative in 2025 with a capacity of 2.4mn mt/yr.
Eni has bought Tango FLNG which will be used as the first unit. Built in 2017, the Tango FLNG vessel can treat up to 3mn m3/day of gas and produce 0.6mn mt/year of LNG and will be deployed to exploit resources at the offshore Marine XII block.
The second FLNG unit is under construction at China’s Wison Heavy Industry. The 380 m long and 60 m wide vessel will be anchored at a water depth of around 40 m and will be able to store over 180,000 m3 of LNG and 45,000 m3 of LPG.
"Today we celebrate the launch of one of Eni's main projects, made possible by the collaboration with the Republic of the Congo and destined to significantly contribute to both Italy and Europe’s energy security and industrial competitiveness,” Descalzi said. “This outcome speaks to the importance of long-term collaboration with our African partners at a time when important strategic choices need to be made in regards to future diversification of supply routes and European energy mixes, in the direction of energy accessibility and availability and progressive decarbonisation.”
Eni has been operating in Congo for over 50 years and – to date – is the only company active in the development of its gas resources.