By Ejekwu Chidiebere
The President of the Republic of Mozambique, Daniel Francisco Chapo has met with Eni Chief Executive Officer, Claudio Descalzi, in Maputo to discuss the company’s ongoing and future activities in the country. The meeting is aimed at reaffirming the strong partnership between Eni and Mozambique and highlighted strategic initiatives aimed at supporting the country’s economic growth.
Among the topics discussed Energy Window International (Media) learnt, was the ongoing success of the Coral South Project, which has contributed to 50% of Mozambique’s GDP growth in 2023 and is projected to represent 70% of GDP growth in 2024 according to the International Monetary Fund, and the recently approved Plan of Development by the Government of Mozambique, for the implementation of the Coral North FLNG project, that will enable the expansion of LNG production from the Coral reservoir in Area 4 of the Rovuma Basin.
The meeting according to the statement posted to Energy Window International (Media) also highlighted company’s strategy to diversify its activities in Mozambique, as part of its broader commitment to the country’s energy transition. This includes the implementation of an innovative agribusiness project focused on producing vegetable oil for biorefining. The initiative Energy Window International (Media) also learnt aims to support the development of rural areas and create opportunities to integrate Mozambique into the biofuel value chain. The company also said that it is promoting several carbon offset initiatives, including the clean cooking program which will promote the use of more energy efficient cooking solutions, and other REDD+ initiatives.
Eni says it has been present in Mozambique since 2006. Between 2011 and 2014, the company said it discovered vast natural gas resources in the Rovuma Basin, in the Coral, Mamba Complex and Agulha reservoirs, with around 2,400 billion cubic meters of gas in place. The company says it is the operator of Coral South project, the first to produce gas from the Rovuma Basin. It has said it is contributing to improving the country’s economic diversification, access to education, health and water through implementation of a sustainability plan.