Angola Launches Its First Plant to Process Non-Associated Gas
Angola inaugurated on Thursday its first plant to process non-associated natural gas as the African oil producer looks to develop a standalone gas industry, too.
The plant, worth $4 billion, was inaugurated by Angola’s President João Lourenço in the presence of Minerals and Petroleum Minister Diamantino Azevedo.
The gas processing facility was built in the Soyo municipality by New Gas Consortium (NGC), which is a first for Angola as it targets to develop and produce non-associated gas located in the offshore gas fields. Historically, gas in Angola has been captured as a by-product of oil extraction, the so-called associated gas.
The plant will be operated by Azule Energy, which is a joint venture of BP and Eni.
NGC, for its part, is an incorporated joint venture of Azule Energy with Sonangol P&P, Chevron, and TotalEnergies. The non-associated gas of Phase 1 of the project will come from the Quiluma and Maboqueiro shallow waters field with additional potential of gas from Blocks 2, 3, and 15/14 areas.
The plant has the capacity to process 400 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMscfd) and 20,000 barrels of condensate per day, and will supply gas to the Angola LNG plant, boosting domestic gas supply and Angola’s exports.
The new plant was completed six months ahead of schedule and its start-up turns a new page in Angola’s energy history, Minister Azevedo said at the inauguration.
Angola is betting big on natural gas developments as a short-term increase in oil production is not expected to last, despite the West African country leaving OPEC over capped production.
Companies operating in Angola have recently started up two oil projects, but they have also begun to target non-associated offshore gas plays, hoping that a massive gas resource could be waiting to be tapped.
Earlier this year, Azule Energy discovered a major natural gas reservoir offshore Angola in the first gas-targeting exploration well in the oil-producing country.
Eni Launches Angola’s First Non-Associated Gas Project Ahead of Schedule
Eni has formally launched operations at Angola’s first non-associated gas development, inaugurating the New Gas Consortium (NGC) Gas Treatment Plant in Soyo through Azule Energy, its 50:50 joint venture with bp. The milestone marks a major advancement in Angola’s long-stated ambition to become a competitive natural gas supplier, both regionally and globally.
The ceremony was attended by Angolan President João Lourenço and senior energy officials, underscoring the strategic importance of the project to the country’s energy transition and economic diversification plans.
The NGC plant, which processes up to 400 MMscf/d of gas and 20,000 b/d of condensate, has entered commissioning following first gas in November 2025. Gas sourced from the offshore Quiluma and Maboqueiro fields will be treated in Soyo before being delivered to the Angola LNG facility for export or distributed to the domestic market.
The project reached this stage just 24 months after groundbreaking and six months ahead of schedule, a notable achievement for a major offshore-to-onshore gas development.
The NGC development is central to Angola's effort to shift from an oil-dependent upstream sector toward a more diversified energy portfolio. As the country positions itself as a stable, long-term natural gas supplier, the project is expected to support downstream sectors, including fertilizer production, which is becoming a key national priority for agricultural expansion.
For Eni, the launch reinforces its strategy of leveraging gas-weighted assets and expanding LNG-linked production across Africa. Azule Energy—now Angola’s largest independent operator since its creation by Eni and bp—adds a high-impact, schedule-advantaged project to its portfolio.
The NGC is operated by Azule Energy (37.4%), alongside Cabinda Gulf Oil Company (31%), Sonangol E&P (19.8%), TotalEnergies (11.8%), with ANPG serving as concessionaire.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
No comments:
Post a Comment