Congo pushes stronger local content and LNG expansion in energy sector talks with AEC

High-level talks between Congo’s minister of hydrocarbons and the African Energy Chamber focused on strengthening local content and advancing gas sector expansion to position the country as a regional gas hub.

What: The AEC has held a series of meetings in Brazzaville to discuss Congo’s energy sector development.

Why: Congo is seeking long-term growth and a larger role in Africa’s energy industry.

What next: Additional projects could expand capacity, strengthen export revenues and support domestic natural gas utilisation and industrial growth.

The African Energy Chamber (AEC) has conducted a series of high-level engagements with energy sector leaders in Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo. This week, AEC’s executive chairman NJ Ayuk met with the recently appointed Minister of Hydrocarbons, Stev Simplice Onanga.

The discussions focused on attracting investment, strengthening local content and advancing gas sector expansion to position the country as a regional gas hub, the AEC said in a media statement on May 18. The parties also discussed measures to increase Congo’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity, with particular attention paid to existing and future floating LNG (FLNG) existing and future projects.

The meeting highlighted a shared commitment to speeding up decision-making in the country’s oil and gas sector to help attract new investment. Both sides agreed that reducing delays in approvals and project execution would be important for maintaining Congo’s competitiveness as it seeks to expand upstream oil and gas development.

Stronger local content

A major part of the talks centred on building stronger local companies. Onanga shared his plans for Congolese firms to move beyond traditional roles of support service providers and become operators, licence holders and regional energy players able to compete across African markets and export their expertise.

The AEC expressed its commitment to help achieve this vision, with a focus on strengthening technical capacity of local companies in exploration drilling and field development to create a new generation of competitive Congolese firms. The Chamber said it would work with the government to increase opportunities for local firms and ensure their meaningful participation throughout the energy value chain.

Beyond efforts to strengthen local companies, the meeting also highlighted Congo’s wider goal of expanding its influence within Africa’s energy sector. Onanga said the country intended to align its energy strategy more closely with continental priorities, drawing on his previous experience as chair of the Board of Governors of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO). According to the minister, cooperation with organisations such as APPO and OPEC is expected to remain an important part of this strategy.

National oil company

The minister also called for greater collaboration to strengthen the role of Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo (SNPC), Congo’s national oil company (NOC). Onanga said his ambition was to transform it into one of Africa’s leading NOCs, moving beyond its current partnership model with international oil companies (IOCs). The government wants SNPC to play a bigger operational role by directly managing assets, leading projects and expanding exploration and production activities domestically, as well as internationally in the future.

“Congo is focused on building a stronger national energy ecosystem from the ground up,” noted Ayuk. “We agreed with the Minister on the need to develop Congolese companies into competitive players that can scale beyond borders. Strengthening SNPC is central to this, so it becomes a more active operator, managing and developing assets. This is about building long-term capacity in-country and positioning Congo as a leading force in African energy.”

Gas development

Gas development, particularly FLNG, was another key topic during the discussions. Congo has already made progress through projects, including the Congo LNG, led by Italian integrated energy company Eni (BIT:ENI, NYSE:E). The first phase of the development started with the nearshore positioning of the Tango FLNG unit with production capacity of 0.6mn tonnes per year (tpy) of LNG in the Marine XII concession.

The first LNG cargo in 2024 was allocated to the Piombino regasification terminal in Italy, placing Congo on the list of global LNG producers. In the second phase, the Nguya FLNG facility was deployed offshore to support the activity of the Tango FLNG, raising the country’s expected LNG export capacity to about 3mn tpy. According to Eni, the development of the project includes the construction of onshore infrastructure and plants, which will allow the treatment of natural gas upon completion.

According to the AEC, discussions also pointed to the possibility of further FLNG developments as Congo looks to build on current momentum to scale production and shape its role in the regional gas market. Additional projects could expand capacity, strengthen export revenues and support domestic natural gas utilisation and industrial growth. The talks reflected a growing focus on faster project execution, gas industry expansion and stronger local participation as Congo seeks long-term growth and a larger role in Africa’s energy industry.

“With Minister Onanga, we’re seeing a real commitment to getting things done – moving deals faster, empowering Congolese companies and scaling LNG,” Ayuk stated. “The stars are aligning for Congo to lead the continent in floating LNG. If this momentum continues, there’s no doubt the country can position itself as one of Africa’s leading gas hubs.”