Angola LNG

Update

The discovery of a gas leak on 10 April 2014 caused the plant to be shut down, and means no volumes will be produced until it restarts in mid-2015. The facility will undergo maintenance during this period, and when restarted should be operating at capacity. The plant had been experiencing technical difficulties since February and was operating at 50% capacity.

Additional information

Angola LNG is fed by gas from offshore oil-producing platforms, which transport gas through subsea pipelines to a processing facility to remove impurities before conversion into LNG. The project has the capacity to produce 5 mtpa of LNG and related gas liquids, and supply up to 3.5 million cubic metres per day for Angola’s domestic needs.

The facility was expected to begin shipments in Q1 2012, but experienced significant delays and sent out its first cargo in June 2013. When operating at capacity, the facility should load 9 or 10 cargoes every six weeks.

Sonangol has built seven LNG carriers – four with a capacity of 160 thousand cubic metres (Mcm) and three with a capacity of 160.5 Mcm. A consortium was set up to fund the charters, which included Mitsui, NYK Line and Teekay Shipping for the first four, while Sonangol partnered with Chevron for the other three.

Page updated: 17/07/2014