Eni, along with its partners China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), ENH, XRG and KOGAS, has announced the hull launch of the Coral North floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility.
The event took place in Geoje, South Korea, in the presence of Mozambique Minister of Natural Resources Estevão Pale and Eni chief operating officer global natural resources Guido Brusco.
Coral North is set to be the second FLNG to operate in the Rovuma Basin offshore Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique.
It aims to begin production using gas from the northern section of the Coral reservoir.
Coral North, with a liquefaction capacity of 3.6 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), will significantly increase Mozambique's LNG output to a total of 7mtpa.
This development is expected to make Mozambique the third-largest LNG producer and exporter in Africa, enhancing its position in the global energy sector.
The project is on track to be completed by 2028, with its design focusing on improved efficiency and performance based on insights from Coral South, which commenced production in 2022.
With estimated gas in place exceeding 500 billion cubic metres, Coral North seeks to optimise the use of available resources.
This project extends the work initiated by Coral South by focusing on the development of the northern area of the Coral field.
The central technological element of this venture will be the FLNG unit, which serves as a floating facility for converting natural gas into LNG.
The introduction of Coral North is set to substantially boost Mozambique's economy by more than doubling its impact.
This includes increased revenues from LNG exports, stimulation of local industries, job creation and expanded investment in development projects within the country.
Additionally, Eni has been active in Mozambique since 2006 and discovered significant natural gas deposits in the Rovuma Basin between 2011 and 2014.
These discoveries amount to approximately 2.4 trillion cubic metres of gas across several reservoirs including Coral, Mamba Complex and Agulha.
Since the start of production at Coral South, more than 135 LNG cargoes have been delivered to markets.
Last December, Eni entered into its first long-term LNG supply agreement in Thailand, partnering with Gulf Development Company.
The deal involves the delivery of 800,000 tonnes of LNG per year to Gulf Development over a decade, supporting Eni's strategy to expand its global LNG presence.
