Eni's Mozambique FLNG first approved

The first development offshore Mozambique in the Rovuma basin has been given the thumbs by the country's government.

Eni is planning a six-well subsea to 3.4 MTPA floating LNG development for the Coral discovery, in Area 4 in the Rovuma basin. 

This will comprise a first phase of the priject, covering 5 Tcf of gas in the Coral discovery, which sits in more than 2000m deep water about 80km offshore Palma Bay in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.

The giant discovery was made in May 2012 and is estimated to contain around 16 Tcf of gas in place. The Coral discovery put Mozambique on the map as a major discovery and came around the same time other East African countries, including Tanzania, were subject to similar exploration focus. 

“Today’s approval of the Coral plan of development is a historical milestone for the development of our discovery of 85 Tcf of gas in the Rovuma Basin. It is a fundamental step to progress toward the final investment decision of our project which envisages the installation of the first newly built floating LNG facility in Africa and one of the first in the world. We are proud of Eni’s partnership with Mozambique, a key country in the company’s strategies,” Eni CEO, Claudio Descalzi said.

Eni and its partners are also pursuing the development of the Mamba gas discovery in Mozambique.

Eni is the operator of Area 4 with 50% interest, owned through Eni East Africa (EEA), which holds a 70% stake of Area 4. Partners include Galp Energia, KOGAS and Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos (ENH) with a 10% stake each. CNPC owns a 20% indirect interest in Area 4 through Eni East Africa.

Map of the Rovuma basin, from Eni.