Global energy giant Eni is preparing to begin the second phase of the Congo LNG project in the Marine XII offshore concession with the launch of a production vessel from Shanghai, China.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, Eni celebrated the sail-away ceremony of the Nguya floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) unit, which is set to significantly boost output at the Congo LNG project.
The ceremony was attended by Bruno Jean Richard Itoua, Minister of Hydrocarbons of the Republic of Congo, and an Eni delegation led by Stefano Maione, Director of Development, Operations & Energy Efficiency.
Eni noted that the Nguya floating production and compression unit (FPU) was refurbished by Saipem from the Scarabeo 5 drilling rig and measures 376 meters long and 60 meters wide.
According to Eni, Saipem handled the engineering, procurement, construction, transportation, and commissioning of the FPU in record time.
“Conceived, designed, and built in only 33 months – from contract award to sail away – the FLNG sets a record for time-to-market in the entire sector,” Eni stated.
Eni has been operating in the Republic of Congo for over five decades and plays a leading role in developing the country’s vast gas resources.
The Italian energy company also supplies gas to the Congo Power Plant, which provides 70% of the country’s electricity generation capacity.
The Congo FLNG project
The 0.6-mtpa Tango FLNG began production in December 2023 and has exported 12 cargoes to date.
Tango FLNG is moored alongside the Excalibur floating storage unit (FSU).
It will be joined by the 2.4-mtpa Nguya FLNG by year-end, bringing the total capacity of the Congo LNG project to 3 mtpa.
Natural gas for the project is supplied by Eni’s Marine XII concession, located 20 kilometers offshore Congo, which holds 1.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent in proven and probable reserves.
In March, S&P Global Insight estimated the FLNG project could more than double Congo’s natural gas production by 2027.
Eni says the refurbished vessel will depart China for Congo in the coming days and will be installed northwest of the Djeno Terminal, where it will send processed gas to the Nguya unit.
Meanwhile, work on subsea infrastructure required to launch Phase 2 of the Congo LNG project is progressing as planned, enabling mooring and startup by the end of 2025.
This year, Congo aims to push its LNG exports to 4.5 billion cubic meters as the second phase of the ambitious Congo LNG project comes online.
