AfrOil: Technip Energies to design ExxonMobil-led LNG project in Mozambique

A consortium led by US oil supermajor ExxonMobil (Exxon) has awarded a front-end engineering design contract to the French company Technip Energies (Technip) for a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Mozambique.

The Rovuma LNG project, for which the final investment decision (FID) is likely in 2026, will have a nameplate capacity of 18mn tonnes per year and comprise 12 modular LNG trains of 1.5mn tpy each.

Exxon is the operator and Italian major Eni and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) are its partners.

Technip said in a release on September 25 that it and JGC Corp. (Japan) were "honoured" to have won the contract for what will be Mozambique’s largest LNG plant.

The design will feature electric-driven LNG trains instead of gas turbines, reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional LNG projects. In addition, it will feature prefabricated and standardised modules to be assembled at the project site in northern Mozambique.  This, it said, will be cost-competitive.

Mario Tommaselli, SVP Gas and Low Carbon Energies of Technip said: “By leveraging our expertise in modularisation and electrified LNG, we are committed to supporting ExxonMobil and its partners towards final investment decision, as well as strengthening our presence in Mozambique to contribute to long-term economic growth and its ambition to become one of Africa’s leading LNG exporters.”

Mozambique has attracted large investments into its developing LNG industry underpinned by the discovery of up to 180 trillion cubic feet (5 trillion cubic metres) of recoverable gas, most of it in offshore Rovuma Basin to the north. Eni started producing LNG at its floating plant in October 2022, while TotalEnergies (France) expects to resume developing its 13mn tpy onshore plant in the same basin by December 2024.

Farhan Mujib, representative director, president of JGC, hailed the environmental sustainability of the proposed project.

“With the global focus on decarbonisation and energy security, the JGC Group is accelerating the promotion of energy transition, and this project is firmly in line with the direction of our strategy. We are convinced this project of national significance will contribute to enhancing economic and industrial growth in Mozambique and East Africa," said Mujib.

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