- The National Petroleum Institute (INP) and Eni-Mozambique Rovuma Venture (MRV) recently met to harmonise technical aspects in the run-up to the start of gas production in the Rovuma Basin.
Senior representatives of the INP and Area 4 partners, through MRV, sat down at the INP premises in Maputo yesterday to review the main technical aspects concerning the work in progress for the start of production and export of the first liquid natural gas (LNG) shipments from the Coral Sul project.
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Newly appointed INP chairman, Nazário Bangalane, welcomed the MRV delegation led by Maurizio Lanzo, Coral FLNG General Manager, accompanied by other concessionaire directors.
According to the INP Director of Inspection and Security Services, Dércio Monteiro, the meeting with Eni sought to gauge the degree of development of the Italian-led project, with the emphasis on technical and administrative aspects necessary for the issuance of essential licences for the operations of the Coral Sul FLNG platform.
During the course of the meeting, Eni explained to the regulatory authority that the project’s implementation work was proceeding satisfactorily, stressing that all efforts to ensure compliance with the agreed schedule of activities were being made. As an example, MRV informed the regulator that up to the date of this meeting, the concessionaire had successfully completed the commissioning of four of the six planned wells, and the commissioning process of the plant with hydrocarbons, which started a month ago, was running as predicted.
Coral Sul FLNG is a floating liquefied natural gas facility which will produce LNG from the Rovuma Basin. It is the first FLNG installation to operate in ultra-deep water in the African continent, and is linked to an underwater system at a depth of around 2,000 metres. Its capacity is 3.4 million tons of LNG per year.
According to Eni and partners, the project was, by the end of June this year, 99% complete.
The concessionaire expressed its interest in seeing the FLNG operating licences issued, as well as those for the wells, taking into account the evidence of compliance with integrity, safety and functionality requirements. On this, the Director of Inspection and Security Services said that the matter was in progress and that the necessary licences for the start of production would be issued, being sufficient for all parties to fully complete the parameters defined in light of the applicable legislation.
The parties agreed to continue to collaborate together so that the forecasts defined in the schedule of activities are not affected by bureaucratic issues.
Area 4 concessionaires in the Rovuma Basin include Mozambique Rovuma Venture (MRV) S.p.A. which is a Joint Venture co-owned by Eni, ExxonMobil and CNODC, with a 70% participating interest, Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos E.P. (ENH), with 10% participating interest, Galp Energia Rovuma B.V. with 10% participating interest and KOGAS Mozambique Ltd., with 10% participating interest.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
Source: INP
