By Victor Uchechukwu
Eni has announced that the sail away ceremony for the Nguya floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) unit has finally taken place in Shanghai. The unit will boost and significantly too LNG production which forms part of the Congo LNG project in the Marine XII concession, offshore the Republic of Congo. Energy Window International (Media) was told that the ceremony was attended by Bruno Jean Richard Itoua, Minister of Hydrocarbons of the Republic of Congo, and Eni delegation led by Stefano Maione, Director of Development, Operations and Energy Efficiency.
The Nguya unit which measures, according to Eni, 376 meters long and 60 meters wide, would be moored at a depth of 35 meters and used for liquefied natural gas production. Designed with advanced technologies to ensure a reduced carbon footprint, it stands as a benchmark in the industry, Eni also said in a statement. Conceived, designed, and built in only 33 months – from contract award to sail away – sets a record for time-to-market in the entire sector. Moreover, its cutting-edge technical features allow it to process gas from multiple fields, making it suitable for the development of future fields as well, Eni said.
In addition, the floating production and compression unit – formerly the Scarabeo 5 drilling rig according to the Italian firm has been refurbished and will depart in the coming days. It will be used to send processed gas to the Nguya unit. Through an innovative transformation, the company said it was really able to meet the execution timelines while reducing costs and minimizing environmental impact. “This is a concrete example of circular economy and industrial reuse, fully aligned with Eni’s decarbonization strategy.”
Energy Window International (Media) has also gathered that work on the subsea infrastructure which is required to launch Phase 2 of the Congo LNG project is already in progress and will come onstream on schedule, enabling mooring and startup by the end of 2025.
Eni said Tango FLNG (0.6 MTPA) began production in December 2023 and has already exported 12 cargoes. It will be joined by the Nguya FLNG (2.4 MTPA) by the end of the year, bringing the total capacity of the Congo LNG project to 3 MTPA.
Eni says it has been present in the Republic of Congo for over 55 years, playing a leading role in developing the country’s enormous gas resources. It said that it also supplies gas to the Congo Power Plant, which provides 70% of the country’s electricity generation capacity, and is active in a number of initiatives aimed at improving access to energy, water, healthcare, and economic diversification for local communities.