Italian oil company Eni is looking for a partner to conduct offshore drilling operations in Area 4 of the Rovuma Basin, in Cabo Delgado province, northern Mozambique.
According to the announcement made on Wednesday (13) by the company, which already explores and exports liquefied natural gas from the Coral Sul project, the rig to be contracted is expected to carry out drilling, completion and testing of four wells, with start-up scheduled for the third quarter of next year.
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Eni doesn’t mention the objectives of the new drilling, but “Notícias” knows that recently the concessionaire for Rovuma Area 4 has been preparing a second floating platform, a copy of the first and called Coral Norte, to double gas extraction off the northern coast of Mozambique.
The second platform is seen by the Italian company as the most efficient way to maximise the profitability of the gas resources discovered in the Coral reserve.
The planned investment in the second platform is seven billion US dollars and will still be subject to approval by the Mozambican government.
If the timetable is met, the second floating platform will begin production in the second half of 2027, meaning it could start up before the onshore projects, which depend on the consolidation of security conditions in the face of threats of terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado.
Coral Norte will be stationed 10 kilometres north of Coral Sul, whose production started in November last year, making it the first project to take advantage of the large reserves in the Rovuma Basin.
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In the announcement made public on Wednesday, Eni explains that the new drilling infrastructure to be contracted must, among other characteristics, have a nominal water depth of 3000 metres and a minimum drilling depth of 5500 metres.
The rig must also be able to operate in conditions of strong sea currents with a suitable riser drilling system.
