Looking ahead, 2023 is expected to be the “year of gas” in Africa, with a number of massive upstream gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects coming online as part of efforts to maximize resource exploitation, accelerate electrification progress and ensure energy security on a global scale.
With up to 620 trillion cubic feet of proven reserves waiting to be tapped, African projects coming online next year will usher in a new era of energy accessibility, reliability and affordability, as well as sizable GDP growth for years to come.
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Angola
In Angola – Africa’s largest crude oil producer – the government has launched an ambitious gas exploration and monetization campaign. Leading operators and national oil company Sonangol formed the country’s first upstream natural gas partnership – the New Gas Consortium – and reached FID on the Quiluma and Maboqueiro gas fields last August as Angola’s first non-associated gas project. Meanwhile, Chevron’s Sanha Lean Gas Connection project in Block 0 aims to deliver lean gas volumes up to 470 million metric standard cubic feet per day to onshore processing facilities, with a view to bridging Angola’s forecast gas supply gap between now and 2025.
Ivory Coast
In West Africa, Ivory Coast is seeking to expand its national grid network for both rural and urban consumers, while ensuring reliability and affordability of the system. Accordingly, the Baleine Phase 1 project – operated by Eni in Block C1-802 and comprising 3.3 trillion cubic feet of associated gas – is set to come online in the first half of 2023 and will be critical in meeting local energy demand through the provision of gas via subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines developed by Saipem.
Senegal/Mauritania
At the same time, Senegal and Mauritania’s Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) Floating LNG (FLNG) development, whose first phase will come online in the fourth quarter of 2023, will provide a low-cost source of energy at a capacity of 2.3 million metric tons of LNG per year. In addition to enhancing energy access and security, GTA will generate a steady flow of revenue for both Senegalese and Mauritanian governments, which can be used to fund the deployment of renewable energy infrastructure, including solar, wind and green hydrogen facilities. With the Senegalese Government prioritizing domestic gas utilization as part of its 2020 Gas Code to achieve universal access, the country is also set to launch its first gas-to-power project – the 300 MW Cap des Biches combined cycle gas power plant – in the first quarter of 2023.
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Congo-Brazzaville
In terms of revenue generation to be derived from gas projects in 2023, the Government of the Republic of Congo is set to benefit from Eni’s recent acquisition of the TANGO FLNG floating liquefaction facility, having signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Italian multinational to enable LNG exports to Europe. With an LNG production capacity of approximately one billion standard cubic meters per year, the facility is set to come online in the second half of 2023 and will support the development of natural gas in the Congo’s Marine XIII Block.
