As fresh gas supplies to the facility ramp up over the next 12 months, Angola Liquefied Natural Gas (ALNG) is looking at potential expansion options, including adding a small train of three million metric tonnes annually, industry executives told Reuters.
The plant will reach full capacity for the first time with the help of additional supplies anticipated from Chevron by year’s end and the New Gas Consortium by the end of 2025.
The second-largest crude producer in Africa intends to shift its focus more towards natural gas in order to meet the rising demand in important European and Asian markets.
The $12 billion Angola LNG plant was put into service more than ten years ago, but it has been operating below its nameplate capacity for years as gas output at the mature sources that supply it has declined.
According to government sources, the current supply averages roughly 700 million standard cubic feet per day (SCF), or 70% of operating capacity.
Azule CEO, Adriano Mongini, the New Gas Consortium, a gas project run by the Azule Energy alliance between BP and Eni, is anticipated to begin production at the end of next year, six months ahead of schedule.
He stated on the fringes of an African energy conference in Cape Town that the project’s extra supplies will enable ALNG to operate at full capacity, with more feedstock expected from Angola’s first gas-specific exploration well to be drilled early next year.
“Angola LNG is already thinking about this expansion, if it’s a mini train or one additional train, so there are many ways to do it,” Mongini told Reuters.
Angola LNG is intended for a single train carrying 5.2 million tonnes annually and has Chevron, TotalEnergies, and Sonangol as stakeholders.
Billy Lacobie, managing director of Chevron’s Southern African division, stated that the company backed initiatives to boost the home market and maximise LNG exports.
According to an ALNG spokesperson, by filling around 40% of the plant by the end of 2024, Chevron’s Sanha Lean Gas Connection will boost ALNG usage and provide gas for 15 years.
Angola has 38 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of known gas and another 56 tcf of prospective resources, according to the country’s newly published 25-year gas master plan, which also indicated intentions to develop more than 40 gas fields.
