Construction will begin soon of a second floating platform for the production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the Rovuma Basin, off the coast of the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, according to Samsung Heavy Industries.
The deputy chairperson of the Korean group, Byoungsun Lee, met Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi, who is on a four day working visit to South Korea, adding that the start of building the new platform is only waiting for approval by the Mozambican government, which should be granted shortly.
“We are anxious for the opportunity to build a second floating LNG platform for Mozambique”, he said. “We are waiting for the Mozambican government to approve the Development Plan. If it is approved now, then we can be thinking about beginning construction of the platform in the third quarter of 2024”.
Eni’s Coral Sul FLNG completes journey from South Korea to Mozambique
Byoungsun Lee announced that the new platform will have an installed capacity to produce 3.4 million tonnes of LNG a year. This is the same capacity as that of the Coral Sul floating platform, which was built by the same Korean company, and has been operational since late 2022.
Byoungsun Lee said Samsung is working with its consortium partners, namely Technic of France, which provides services in hydrocarbon research and exploitation, and JDC of Japan, a company specialized in offshore drilling.
In a brief contact with the Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources, Antono Saide, he told AIM that it is up to the operator to express an interest in building a second floating platform.
Korean oil company Kogas has expressed commitment to continue investing in the billion-dollar natural gas production project underway in Area 4 of the Rovuma basin, off the coast of the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.
The commitment was expressed by KOGAS’ Chairperson of the Board of Directors, , Yeon-Hye Choi, during an audience granted, in Seoul, by the Mozambican President, Filipe Nyusi, in which they discussed the need to establish more security against the Islamist terrorists who have been plaguing some districts of Cabo Delgado.
Kogas is a partner in Area 4 of the Rovuma Basin, which is operated by Mozambique Rovuma Venture (MRV), a joint venture between ExxonMobil, the Italian energy company Eni and CNPC of China, which holds a 70 per cent participating interest in the concession contract.
Coral Sul floating LNG plant to load first Mozambique gas cargo in second-half 2022
Kogas, the Portuguese company Galp and Mozambique’s own National Hydrocarbon Company (ENH) each hold a 10 per cent stake in Area 4.
Choi expressed her satisfaction with the meeting, saying she had a very fruitful conversation with the President, during which they both shared a vision for the future. They also reviewed the course of the project to distribute natural gas for domestic consumption in Mozambique.
The deputy minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, António Saíde, explained that the meeting was also aimed at assessing the progress of the projects in Area 4. “Yeon-Hye Choi said she was confident in the Mozambican market because it can contribute to energy stability around the world, which is why they are going to continue with this natural gas project’, Saide said.
