Angola’s first non-associated gas project, under construction since October 2023 in Soyo, Zaire Province, could be inaugurated later this year, according to Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas Diamantino de Azevedo.
The minister made the announcement following an inspection of the New Gas Consortium plant, led by Azule Energy, confirming that the project is progressing according to schedule. “From what we have seen, everything is going as planned, and we hope the project will be inaugurated this year,” the minister stated.
Minister de Azevedo highlighted the economic and social benefits of the project, which is expected to generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs while increasing tax revenue and foreign currency inflows. He noted that recently approved legislation has made Angola more attractive to foreign private investment in the gas sector, accelerating the development of new non-associated gas fields.
The New Gas Consortium is an integrated project encompassing extraction, processing, and supply of gas to the Angola LNG liquefaction complex and other industrial users. The project already has two offshore platforms, Quiluma and Maboqueiro, producing gas, along with pipelines transporting it to the plant where full processing takes place.
The project, led by Azule Energy in partnership with Total Energies, Chevron, and Sonangol, involves an estimated $2.2 billion investment. Construction has engaged approximately 4,000 workers, with 78% being Angolans. Once operational, the plant will supply 330 million cubic feet of gas per day, enhancing Angola LNG’s supply stability and increasing gas availability for domestic and industrial use.
Increasing the national gas supply is a strategic priority for Angola, supporting cooking gas availability for households, electricity production, raw materials for the future fertilizer plant in Soyo, and steel industry development in Namibe Province. The ministerial delegation visiting Soyo included senior executives, Sonangol’s Board President Sebastiao Gaspar Martins, the provincial governor of Zaire Adriano Mendes de Carvalho, and also toured the future fertilizer plant and the new Polythetic Higher Institute construction sites.
Source: angolanminingoilandgas.com