Congo-Brazzaville bets on liquefied natural gas

2023-05-24 22:04:51
Congo-Brazzaville could become an exporter of liquefied natural gas. Thanks to an investment of 5 billion dollars provided by the Italian oil company ENI, the authorities launched at the end of April, near Pointe-Noire (south), the economic capital, construction work on a production, pre-treatment and gas liquefaction. A very ambitious project. Place de Litchendjili, near Pointe-Noire. The sun is at its zenith. A group of elders, dressed in traditional attire, engage in a site blessing ritual before President Denis Sassou-Nguesso lays the foundation stone for the construction of the Natural Gas Production and Liquefaction Center . This is a high-end project for Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua, Minister of Hydrocarbons: “In reality, it is a major integrated project that we are launching. It concerns the production of gas, its transformation and its liquefaction, then its marketing. It will lead our country, for the first time, to export liquefied natural gas for the first time”. The Center will be erected near the Congo Power Plant, powered by gas, which alone produces 70% of the electricity consumed in Congo. Great ambitions According to Mirko Araldi, managing director of ENI Congo, the project’s main partner, the project will be carried out in two phases: the installation of two floating factories and actual production. The ambitions are high according to Mirko Araldi: “Today we are celebrating the LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) project which will allow the Republic of Congo to join the restricted group of world exporters of liquefied natural gas by the end of the year “. ► To read also: In Brazzaville, the Kokutan’art festival highlights cities without electricity By 2025, the Center will produce 3 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas per year. The Minister of Hydrocarbons, Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua, assures that the future production of this liquefied gas will exceed the needs of the Congolese market. “Indeed, a large part will be sent for export because we do not have the capacity to absorb 3 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas. But, of course, no one can imagine that there isn’t a little left here. So the local market is part of the file, ”explains Minister Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua. An industrial perspective The country hopes to derive a significant gain, but the revenues have not been specified. Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua, Minister of Hydrocarbons: “There is above all the prospect of creating a petrochemical industry thanks to gas; among other things to produce fertilizers, chemical fertilizers. So that we can accelerate what is our first priority: agriculture in the broad sense”. However, even if future LNG exports are a boon for Congo, they will not make Brazzaville a giant in the sector. With 4.5 billion cubic meters of liquefied gas per year, this will represent one thousandth of world consumption. ► To read also: Congo-Brazzaville: inauguration of a research center for the energies of tomorrow
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