Page 11 - GLNG Week 01 2021
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GLNG AFRICA GLNG
Total asks some staff to vacate Mozambique
LNG site on safety concerns
PROJECTS & FRANCE’S Total is reported to have asked made threats that they may target it in the future.
COMPANIES some of the staff working on the construction In a separate Bloomberg report from Jan-
of Mozambique LNG to vacate the site on secu- uary 1, the news service cited Total as saying it
rity concerns. This comes as attacks by Islamist had “temporarily reduced its workforce on site
militants in the region have been taking place in response to the prevailing environment”. The
increasingly closer to the site of the LNG termi- company added that the situation was being
nal in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado reviewed continuously.
Province. Total also told Bloomberg that the coronavi-
Citing sources familiar with the matter, rus (COVID-19) pandemic had further weighed
Bloomberg reported on January 2 that fighters on the decision to reduce personnel at the
from a group aligned with Islamic State had Mozambique LNG site. Indeed, Mozambique
attacked the nearby village of Quitunda. This LNG was the site of the country’s first reported
is where Total is relocating communities from COVID-19 cases in April 2020. According to
other parts of the concession as it builds Mozam- local media, a new outbreak was detected at the
bique LNG’s export facilities and other infra- project in December.
structure, according to the sources. Quitunda is The attacks significantly heighten the risk
located less than 1 km (0.62 miles) from the air- associated with the $20bn Mozambique LNG
strip the company built within its construction project, which represents Africa’s largest private
camp’s perimeter fence. investment. However, work continues for now,
The attack, which was repelled by Mozam- and in late December, South Korea’s Daewoo
bican government forces, was the first within Engineering & Construction won a fabrication
Total’s concession area and followed another contract for certain components of the pro-
attack on a town less than 5 km (3 miles) from ject’s two liquefaction trains, worth KRW500bn
the construction camp earlier that week. The ($459mn). Daewoo said it would be tasked with
LNG terminal site itself is heavily guarded and the construction of components such as steel
has not yet been attacked, but militants have frames, machinery, piping and electricity.
Drilling resumes at
Mozambique’s Coral FLNG
PROJECTS & THE developers of the $7bn Coral floating LNG Eni operates Coral FLNG on behalf of
COMPANIES (FLNG) project off Mozambique have resumed its MRZ partners, which besides ExxonMo-
drilling, the East African country’s regulator has bil include China National Petroleum Corp.
said, after an eight-month break because of coro- (CNPC), Portugal’s Galp, South Korea’s KOGAS
navirus (COVID-19) restrictions. and Mozambique’s national oil company (NOC)
The Instituto Nacional de Petroleo (INP) said ENH. The partners took a final investment deci-
the authorities had been informed by Mozam- sion (FID) on the plan in 2017.
bique Rovuma Venture (MRZ), a consortium led ExxonMobil is also leading the 15.2mn tpy
by ExxonMobil and Italy’s Eni, that the Saipem Rovuma LNG project which will also draw from
12000 drillship had arrived in Pemba on January Area 4’s 2.4 trillion cubic metre resource base.
5. Drilling had started in September 2019 but was But the US major has held off on taking an FID
halted in April last year after restrictions were put in light of the pandemic’s impact on the global
in place to prevent the pandemic’s spread. gas market.
Coral FLNG, situated in the offshore Area 4 France’s Total and its partners are targeting a
concession, will be the first among several LNG 2024 launch for their 13.1mn tpy Mozambique
projects planned in northern Mozambique to LNG project, which will use gas from the Area
start production. INP noted that the venture was 1 concession neighbouring Area 4. But there
still on track for first gas in 2022. are rising security concerns about the project
The plant will produce 3.4mn tonnes per year following a series of attacks by Islamists. Total is
(tpy) of LNG. Eni reported in November that the reported to have evacuated some of its workers
topsides for the FLNG had been completed. Its at the site this month after a strike by militants
hull was finished in January 2020. within the project concession area.
Week 01 08•January•2020 www. NEWSBASE .com P11
