FLNG milestone keeps Eni’s next chapter of African LNG story on track (Gallery)

With the launch of the hull, Italy’s energy giant Eni has made inroads in bringing its new floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) unit to life in line with its start-up timeline, thus, the unit is still slated to come into operation mode in the fourth quarter of 2025 at the Italian player’s LNG project off the coast of Congo, Africa.

Eni’s Congo LNG project is said to be the African country’s first natural gas liquefaction project, which is envisioned to have an overall LNG production capacity of 3 million tons per year (mtpa) or approximately 4.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year from 2025. This development is designed to exploit the gas resources of the Marine XII project with the installation of two FLNG units at the Nenè and Litchendjili fields.

The first FLNG unit, known as Tango with 0.6 mtpa capacity, started its deliveries of LNG to international markets in February 2024, only a year after a final investment decision (FID) was taken. As a result, Congo joined the LNG exporters’ club. On the other hand, the second FLNG plant, currently under construction, is expected to be in operation by the end of next year, with a capacity of 2.4 mtpa.

The Congo LNG’s Phase 2 project start-up was reaffirmed by Eni, following the hull launch in Wison shipyard in China’s Nantong for the FLNG Nguya, which is interpreted to stand for strength, energy, and the ability to deliver projects effectively in Congo’s Lingala language, reflecting the company’s achievements through its partnership with the country.

Guido Brusco, Eni’s Chief Operating Officer, Global Natural Resources, highlighted: “We celebrate this milestone together with our partners as a testament of the solid collaboration between Eni and the Republic of Congo. We have been the first to believe in the value of Congo’s gas, primarily for domestic power generation, and then for export.

“With the successful launch of the Nguya FLNG hull, the Congo LNG Project has reached an impressive milestone of 40 million hours worked without any Lost Time Injuries. This achievement underscores the project’s ongoing progress in valorizing Congo’s gas resources, while capitalizing on local and international opportunities to deliver further value for our stakeholders”.

With a reduced carbon footprint due to its design, technology, and zero-flaring approach, the FLNG Nguya is expected to complement the existing Tango unit, operational since December 2023 with a capacity of 0.6 mtpa, bringing the total liquefaction capacity of the Congo LNG project to 3 mtpa by the end of 2025, as previously envisioned. The hull launch ceremony was attended by Bruno Jean Richard Itou, Minister of Hydrocarbons of the Republic of Congo.

“Completion activities for Nguya FLNG have progressed at 80%, while overall Phase 2 timing – from FLNG contract award to startup – is expected to amount to less than 3 years, leveraging Eni’s fast-track approach that allows the execution of engineering, construction and commissioning activities seamlessly to rapidly develop new projects,” underlined the Italian energy giant.

The FLNG Nguya, measuring 350 meters in length, 60 meters in breadth, and 35 meters in depth, is expected to be deployed offshore near Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo, and will allow Eni’s Congo LNG project to reach the plateau rate.

“In light of the global energy transition, Wison New Energies will continue to leverage its strong construction capabilities and innovative strength to steadily promote the development of clean energy. Looking ahead, Wison is excited to collaborate with global partners to create a bright future for clean energy,” emphasized Wison.

The hull launch ceremony follows shortly after the Chinese firm secured a new assignment with Kumul Petroleum for Papua New Guinea’s FLNG unit, which will be deployed to the Gulf of Papua in Oceania to assist the Pacific island country in commercializing its offshore gas fields.