Africa-Press – Angola. The country’s first non-associated gas project, under construction since October 2023, in the municipality of Soyo, Zaire province, could be inaugurated later this year, the Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, Diamantino de Azevedo announced.
The government official was speaking at the end of an inspection visit to the works of the New Gas Consortium (NCG) plant, led by Azule Energy, having ensured that the work is taking place within the established deadlines.
“From what we have seen, everything is going as planned and we hope that the project will be inaugurated this year”, he stated.
Diamantino de Azevedo highlighted the economic and social impact of the project, stressing that the project will generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs, in addition to contributing to an increase in tax revenue and foreign currency inflow.
The Minister explained that Angola recently approved more attractive legislation for foreign private investment in the field of gas, allowing the discovery of new gas deposits not associated with oil to be accelerated.
“We already have two offshore platforms, called Quiluma and Maboqueiro, for the production of gas, as well as the respective gas pipelines that will take the product to the factory we visited today, where all the treatment will be carried out”, he said.
He explained that the New Gas Consortium is an integrated project that covers the extraction, treatment and supply of gas to the Angola LNG liquefaction complex and other industrial consumers.
The Minister assured that Angola will continue to invest in the prospecting, development and production of non-associated gas, while strengthening fiscal mechanisms capable of attracting more investors.
He also highlighted that increasing the national supply of gas is a strategic priority, making it possible to guarantee the supply of cooking gas, support the production of electrical energy and provide raw materials for the future fertilizer factory in Soyo and the steel industry planned for the province of Namibe.
The New Gas Consortium (NCG) is led by Azule Energy, in partnership with Total Energies, Chevron and Sonangol, in an investment estimated at US$2.2 billion.
The construction of the processing plant has so far involved around four thousand workers, of which 78% are Angolans.
When completed, the project is expected to supply 330 million cubic feet of gas per day, ensuring greater stability to Angola LNG’s supply and increasing the availability of gas for domestic and industrial consumption.
The ministerial delegation included senior executive officials and the president of the Board of Directors of Sonangol, Sebastião Gaspar Martins, the provincial governor of Zaire, Adriano Mendes de Carvalho, and also visited the future fertilizer factory and the new Polythetic Higher Institute construction sites.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
