Sambizanga

The first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Angola LNG plant is on its way to Brazil on the SS Sonangol Sambizanga, one of seven 160,000-cubic meter LNG vessels contracted to the Angola LNG project, one of the largest energy projects on the African continent. Angola LNG is a partnership of Sonangol, Chevron Corp., BP plc, ENI and Total that will gather and process gas to produce and deliver LNG and natural gas liquids (NGL). “First gas at Angola LNG is an important milestone in support of our strategic plan to grow our production,” said George Kirkland, Chevron vice chairman. The $10 billion project will collect and transport gas from offshore Angola to an onshore liquefaction plant on the coast near the Congo River. The project has the capacity to produce 5.2 million metric tons per year of LNG, 63,000 b/d of NGL for export and 125 MMcf/d of natural gas for domestic consumption, Chevron said. “The project represents the first LNG project in Angola, and it is expected to contribute to the development of Angola’s natural gas industry,” said Ali Moshiri, president of Chevron Africa and Latin America Exploration and Production Co. Five and a half years ago it was expected that some supply from Angola LNG would land in the United States (see Daily GPI, Dec. 11, 2007).