(Agence Ecofin) – 2024 was a year of challenges and adaptations for the global energy market, particularly in Africa, with price fluctuations influenced by global economic factors and strategic decisions of the main players in the sector.
Congo will strengthen its offer on the global LNG market
In February 2024, the first volumes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Congo LNG gas project, operated by the Italian giant Eni, were exported. This project is expected to reach a new milestone in 2025 as stakeholders work to finalize the Nguya floating gas liquefaction unit (FLNG), currently under construction in China.
As of November 2024, the new liquefaction facility that will complement the FLNG Tango, already operational on the project site, had a construction rate of 80%. Once finalized, it should help increase Congo LNG’s LNG production capacity to 3 million tonnes per year by the end of the year, thanks to its liquefaction capacity of 2.4 million tonnes per year. .
This perspective expected as part of phase 2 of the project has the potential to strengthen Congo’s positioning on the international energy scene. This, by promoting increased monetization of some 10 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven natural gas reserves that the country hosts, according to estimates by the US Energy Administration.
The Nargis field to breathe new life into Egyptian natural gas
A key African supplier of LNG until a few months ago, Egypt is going through a major energy crisis due to the reaching maturity of certain wells in the Zohr field which has ensured the country’s self-sufficiency in gas since 2018. A situation which has pushed the Egyptian authorities to limit LNG exports to meet the gas needs of the domestic market.
In this context, the Nargis gas field, discovered a little over two years ago in the Mediterranean Sea by Chevron, is scheduled to be launched in 2025, in order to help Egypt address the energy deficit created by the decline in Zohr production platform.
You should know that according to Chevron’s forecasts, the Nargis gas reserve hosts approximately 3.5 Tcf. It is technically capable of delivering some 600 million cubic feet of natural gas per day during the first phase of production of the scheme. A plateau which is well below the average of 2 billion cubic feet per day delivered by Zohr since January 2024.
Temane gas for universal access to electricity in Mozambique
The Central Termica de Temane (CTT) under development in Temane in Mozambique since 2022, should enter service in the 3rd quarter of 2025, according to forecasts from the South African company Sasol and the public hydrocarbon company of Mozambique, ENH.
The installation, whose operation is based on the exploitation of gas from the Pande-Temane deposits, promises to provide 450 MW of electricity to Mozambique while supporting the energy supply of South Africa.
Once launched, this project is expected to mark a major shift in Maputo’s plans to use gas to ensure universal access to electricity for all citizens by the end of the decade by increasing electricity consumption by 14%. electricity supply capacity of the country.
A factory to ensure Algeria’s autonomy in MTBE
2025 should be the year of autonomy acquired by Algeria in the production of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). In 2022, the country signed an agreement for the construction of a factory for this purpose within the Arzew gas and petrochemical complex.
The development work on the installation should be finalized by June 2025 at the latest according to forecasts from the Algerian public hydrocarbon company (Sonatrach) and the Chinese companies CNTIC and Sinopec, involved in the project.
Thus, thanks to the 200,000 tonnes of MTBE per year that the infrastructure promises to provide, Algeria should significantly increase its autonomy in the production of this useful compound for improving the octane number of gasoline.
The imminence of the final investment decision for the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline
The final weeks of 2024 were marked by key progress towards the final investment decision in the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project. The coming weeks could be those of the formalization of the taking of the latter announced for last December, according to experts.
The prospect will mark an evolution towards the economic integration of ECOWAS member states via a pipeline of at least 6,500 km linking Nigeria to Morocco and which should, once completed, supply the European market with natural gas.
Expected start of natural gas exploitation in Tendrara, Morocco
After making key progress in the workover operations of the TE-6 and TE-7 gas wells, the British company Sound Energy is expected to launch initial gas production on the Tendrara gas perimeter.
This development is expected by June 2025. A deadline from which the exploitation of Tendrara’s natural gas resources should play a crucial role in supporting Morocco’s gas needs. This, in a context where the country finds itself deprived of Algerian gas since the diplomatic quarrel of 2021.
Abdel-Latif Boureima
Edited by Wilfried ASSOGBA
