Second FLNG platform will raise Rovuma area 4 production to 7mtpa – study
The concession holder for Rovuma Area 4 is preparing a second floating platform, a copy of the first and called Coral Norte to double gas extraction off the northern coast of Mozambique, says a preparatory study.
“The Area 4 concessionaire proposes as the most efficient way to maximise the recovery and profitability of the Coral reserve’s gas resources, a second FLNG project,” the English acronym that identifies the floating platform, reads the environmental pre-feasibility study.
The document, which was drawn up by Mozambican company Consultec for oil company Eni, the consortium’s delegated operator, was published on the Zitamar news portal.
The planned investment is US$7 billion (6.3 billion euros) and is still subject to approval by the Mozambican government.
If the schedule goes according to plan, the platform will start production in the second half of 2027 – meaning it could start even before onshore projects, which depend on security implications due to the armed insurgency in Cabo Delgado.
Coral Norte will be stationed 10 kilometres north of Coral Sul, which started production in November, making it the first project to take advantage of the large reserves in the Rovuma basin.
The FLNG Coral Norte project “will be a replica of Coral Sul,” 50 kilometres from the coast and connected to six underwater wells at a depth of 2,000 metres.
Area 4 will thus be producing seven mtpa (million tonnes per year).
At the level of the preliminary study, “none of the impacts identified constitutes a fatal issue”.
That is, “several potentially significant social and environmental impacts have been identified, such as potential air and noise emissions”, however, “appropriate mitigation measures for these impacts are known”.
“All identified impacts will be carefully investigated and mitigated in the Environmental Impact Assessment phase”, which will follow and is expected to include public consultation sessions shortly.
Manpower requirements “will vary throughout the life cycle of FLNG Coral North”, the document adds.
The environmental pre-feasibility study also states that between drilling the wells and start-up the project is expected to employ up to 1,400 people, but these will be mainly foreign skilled professionals.
During the operation phase there will be up to 900 jobs, with more opportunities for Mozambican workers.
Area 4 is operated by Mozambique Rovuma Venture (MRV), a joint venture co-owned by ExxonMobil, Eni and CNPC (China), which has a 70% participating interest in the concession contract.
Galp, Kogas (South Korea) and Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos (Mozambique) each have a 10% stake.
