Eni and Unilurio sign a partnership for Community Development and Biodiversity Protection in Cabo Delgado

Eni, through its subsidiary Eni Rovuma Basin (ERB), and the Lurio University (Unilurio) signed on 14 March a Memorandum of Understanding for Community Development and Biodiversity Protection in the City of Pemba and Vamizi Island, in the Province of Cabo Delgado, in Mozambique.

This initiative is part of the implementation of the Coral South Project Sustainability Plan and is based on Eni’s vision that the development of the communities preserving the environment is an area of extreme importance in the sustainability of its projects.

The agreement foresees the implementation of a pilot project consisting in the creation of a coral nursery site in the Vamizi Island’s Marine Sanctuary in partnership with the coastal communities. The Vamizi Island is surrounded by coral reefs, which represent an important marine environment and carry a rich biodiversity, being vital both ecologically and economically. In the last decade, the Community Counsel of Fishery of Vamizi Island has kept the Marine Sanctuary in 50% of the island waters to preserve fish stocks and promote future food security.

With this partnership it will be possible to involve the coastal communities during the creation and monitoring phases of the nursery, as well as graduate students from the Natural Sciences Faculty at Unilurio in the City of Pemba.

The agreement was signed by the General Manager of ERB Filippo Maioli, and by the Rector of Unilurio, PhD Francisco Noa, during a Local Content and Sustainable Development Workshop for Coral South Project held in the City of Pemba.

“This partnership will contribute to increasing biodiversity conservation awareness in the coastal communities of Cabo Delgado regarding the importance of the marine resources for their livelihood, while also increasing the livelihoods and employability of the local population” stated Filippo Maioli.

Eni has been present in Mozambique since 2006, following the acquisition of the Petroleum Contract Area 4, in the offshore Rovuma basin, in the north of the country, where Eni discovered an estimated volume of gas in excess of 85 TCF. The Coral South Project includes the construction of a floating plant (FLNG), to treat, liquefy, store and offload LNG. The plant will have a liquefaction capacity of approximately 3.4 million tons per year. Construction has started in June 2017 production is expected to start in 2022.