China National Offshore Oil Corporation plans to begin hydrocarbon exploration in Mozambique next month by drilling blocks awarded in 2022, according to Club of Mozambique.
Energy Minister Estêvão Pale told reporters at the Mining Indaba in Cape Town that preparations will start in March to launch exploration activities. He said authorities remain in the early phase and continue work across five to six additional blocks.
CNOOC Hong Kong and Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos secured contracts for five offshore blocks in the Save and Angoche areas after the sixth licensing round that began in November 2021.
That round offered 16 blocks across Angoche, Save, the Zambezi Delta, and the Rovuma Basin, covering more than 92,000 square kilometers.
Pale told Lusa that Mozambique does not plan a new licensing round for now because many areas from the previous round remain open for direct negotiation. He said the government will continue discussions with potential partners.
Mozambique approved three development projects in the Rovuma Basin, one of the world’s largest natural gas reserve areas, but operators currently run only one project.
Eni has operated the Coral Sul floating LNG platform since 2022 and approved a second platform, Coral Norte, last October. The company expects the 7.2 billion dollar investment to raise production to 7 million tonnes per year from 2028.
TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil halted construction on the Mozambique LNG and Rovuma LNG projects in 2021 after insurgent attacks forced them to leave shared onshore facilities.
Improved security conditions allowed both companies to lift force majeure last year. TotalEnergies resumed work in January and expects Mozambique LNG to produce up to 13 million tonnes per year from 2029.
ExxonMobil expects to begin work on Rovuma LNG within 12 to 18 months and plans output of 18 million tonnes per year after 2030. The company intends to take a final investment decision this year.
source: macaonews.org
African Energy Council