The Mozambican Government has approved the concession contract for petroleum exploration and production in the Angoche A6-C Offshore Area.
This agreement involves Eni Mozambico as the operator and Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos (ENH) as the partner.
The Council of Ministers made this decision during an ordinary meeting, granting the concessionaire exclusive rights to conduct petroleum operations within the specified concession area.
This includes producing oil from underground resources and building infrastructure for petroleum production and transportation, unless existing infrastructure is accessible on reasonable commercial terms.
The National Petroleum Institute (INP) of Mozambique had announced in 2022 that Italian oil company ENI submitted a proposal during the sixth Licensing Round for the Concession of Areas for Research and Production of Hydrocarbons.
ENI holds a 60% operating interest, with the Mozambican state-owned company ENH holding the remaining 40%.
Mozambique is home to the third-largest natural gas reserves in Africa, estimated at 180 million cubic feet. The country has three approved development projects to explore these reserves in the Rovuma basin, one of the world’s largest, located off the coast of Cabo Delgado.
Two of these projects plan to channel gas from the seabed to onshore facilities, where it will be liquefied for export.
The TotalEnergies-led Area 1 consortium advanced until it was suspended indefinitely after an armed attack on Palma in March 2021. TotalEnergies has stated that work will only resume when the area is deemed safe.
The second major project, led by ExxonMobil and Eni in the Area 4 consortium, is yet to announce any new developments. Meanwhile, Eni’s other offshore project is nearly fully operational.
