Following Coral-Sul inauguration, Eni eyes more FLNG developments off Mozambique

Italy’s oil and gas giant Eni has engaged in talks during the inauguration ceremony for the Coral-Sul floating LNG (FLNG) facility to contemplate the possibility of additional FLNG projects off Mozambique.

Eni disclosed on Wednesday that its representatives had discussed the possibility of replicating the success of the Coral South project with further FLNG development – as well as other onshore projects – with the president of Mozambique, Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, who visited and inaugurated the Coral-Sul FLNG installation located in the ultra-deep waters of the Rovuma basin.

The inauguration ceremony was also attended by Carlos Zacarias, the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, and by representatives of Mozambique’s government, which were accompanied by an Eni delegation led by Guido Brusco, Chief Operating Officer Natural Resources. 

This took place after the shipment of the first LNG cargo departed from the Coral Sul FLNG, “the world’s first ultra-deep-water FLNG and the first LNG producer in Mozambique.” The FLNG fabrication and construction activities for this project, which started in September 2018 – were completed in 38 months with the sailaway from South Korea to Mozambique in November 2021. 

Coming from the Samsung Heavy Industries’ shipyard in South Korea, the FLNG arrived at the final operating site offshore Mozambique in early January 2022. The introduction of hydrocarbons came in June 2022 after mooring and connection to six underwater production wells were finalised in March and May 2022, respectively.

With a gas liquefaction capacity of 3.4 million tons per year (mtpa), Coral-Sul FLNG is expected to produce 450 billion cubic meters of gas from the giant Coral reservoir, located in the Rovuma Basin Area 4 offshore Mozambique. Coral Sul FLNG operates on the Eni-led Coral South project on behalf of Area 4 partners: ExxonMobil CNPC, GALP, KOGAS and ENH.

The Coral-Sul FLNG is 432 meters long and 66 meters wide, weighs around 220,000 tons and can accommodate up to 350 people in its eight-story living quarter module. Located at a water depth of about 2,000 meters, the facility is kept in position by 20 mooring lines that weigh 9,000 tons.

Eni highlights that Coral South, “a landmark project for the gas industry,” is projecting Mozambique onto the global LNG stage, paving the way for a transformational change in the country through the development of gas resources. The Italian giant sees this as “an important contribution” to the security and diversification of supplies to Europe and “one of the most effective solutions to ensure a just energy transition.”

On the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony, Eni also discussed the status of its initiatives towards carbon neutrality with Nyusi. This includes the agri-feedstock project – under the agreement between the Italian player and the government of Mozambique – which aims to produce oil from seeds, wastes and residues that do not compete with food crops and agricultural lands, to be used in biofuel production.

Eni’s discovered “supergiant natural gas resources” in Area 4 – Coral, Mamba Complex and Agulha reservoirs – are estimated to hold 2,400 billion cubic meters of gas in place.