Rovuma liquefied natural gas (LNG) project is a 15.2 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) LNG export facility planned to be developed to liquefy and market gas resources from three reservoirs in the Area 4 block of the Rovuma Basin, offshore Mozambique.
Mozambique Rovuma Venture (MRV), a joint venture of ExxonMobil (40%), Eni (40%), and CNPC (20%) is the operator and holds 70% interest in the Area 4 exploration and production concession contract. Galp, KOGAS, and Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos each hold a 10% interest in the block.
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Eni is in charge of the construction and operation of the upstream facilities on behalf of MRV, while ExxonMobil will lead the construction and operation of the LNG and associated facilities for the deepwater Area 4 block.
The final investment decision (FID) on the multi-billion-dollar Rovuma LNG project is expected in the first half of 2020, while the construction works are expected to be started in the same year.
Expected to be brought on stream in 2025, the LNG project will produce 17,000 tonnes (t) of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) a year in Mozambique and pave the way for the country to become one of the leading LNG exporters in Africa.
Rovuma LNG project background
The Rovuma LNG project is based on three gas reservoirs of the Mamba complex in the Area 4 block of the Rovuma Basin. Located approximately 40km off the Cabo Delgado coast in Northern Mozambique, the Mamba gas field was discovered in October 2011.
The Area 4 is estimated to hold a total of 85 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas reserves, out of which the Rovuma LNG project targets the development and commercialization of 21.7Tcf of high-quality gas resources.
The other major project sanctioned for development in the Area 4 is the Coral South project, a 3.4Mtpa floating LNG (FLNG) project, which has been under construction since September 2018.
The Ministry of Coordination of Environmental Affairs (MICOA) of Mozambique approved the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the Rovuma LNG project in June 2014.
The development plan for the first phase of the Rovuma LNG project was submitted in July 2018, which was approved by the Government of Mozambique in May 2019.
Rovuma LNG project location and site details
Land of approximately 7,000ha has been obtained for the development of the Rovuma LNG project on the Afungi Peninsula, in the Cabo Delgado Province of Mozambique.
The built area for the LNG processing infrastructures will be 3,600ha, while the rest of the land will be utilized for the construction of the auxiliary facilities.
Rovuma LNG project infrastructure details
The first phase of the Rovuma LNG project will comprise two liquefaction trains of 7.6Mtpa each.
The LNG trains will be equipped with H-100 gas turbines and liquefaction compressor units from Mitsubishi. Each dual-shaft H-100 gas turbine will have a rated capacity of 120MW.
The Rovuma LNG plant will receive up to six billion cubic feet (bcf) of natural gas a day from as many as 60 production wells in Area 4 offshore block.
The feed gas for the liquefaction facility will be supplied through a new 45km-long subsea pipeline corridor.
The marine facilities for the project will include a multi-purpose dock (MPD) to support the primary construction activities, and an LNG export jetty with two marine loading berths to accommodate LNG carriers.
The site will also feature a 1.7km-long temporary airstrip and a 3.5km-long permanent airstrip.
The initial production life of the Rovuma LNG project is estimated to be 30 years.
LNG off-take
The Area 4 development partners secured LNG off-take commitment from their affiliated buyers for the 15.2Mtpa Rovuma LNG project in December 2018.
Contractors involved
JFT, a consortium between JGC Corporation (JGC), Fluor and TechnipFMC was awarded the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for the onshore LNG production facility in October 2019.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) was selected as the supplier of gas turbines and compressors for the project, under an agreement signed in April 2019.
Its subsidiary Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Compressor Corporation (MCO) will be responsible for the supply of liquefaction compressors, while Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) will supply the gas-turbines for the LNG plant.
Airswift in a joint venture with Embrace is responsible to provide workforce for the project, while Bonatti International was selected for the construction of temporary accommodation and workstation facilities.
Projectos e Estudos de Impacto Ambiental (Impacto) was involved in the preparation of the EIA report for the project.
