Coral South was the first project approved by our Area 4 partners for developing gas resources discovered in the Rovuma Basin, off Mozambique’s coast. The project involves producing and selling gas from the southern part of the Coral field, using a floating plant for liquefying natural gas (LNG) with a capacity of 3.4 million tonnes, linked to six subsea gas producing wells.. In 2016, we signed an agreement to sell 100 per cent of LNG production to British Petroleum (BP), and on 1 June 2017, we embarked on the start-up phase of the project, just three years after drilling the last test well. The liquefied gas is sold by us and other Area 4 concessionaires (including CNPC, Galp, Kogas, the Mozambican state company ENH and Exxon Mobil through its operator Mozambique Rovuma Venture S.p.A.) to BP, under a 20-year contract with an optional 10-year extension. 

The development activities of Area 4 offshore (Eni’s interest 25%) in 2020 concerned the Coral South gas project, operated by Eni, and the gas discoveries of Mamba Complex where Eni is expected to coordinate the upstream development and production phase and ExxonMobil the construction and operation phase of natural gas liquefaction facilities onshore. The project has reached a progress of more than 80% and the production start-up is expected in 2022.

We regard safety at work as a core value – one we share with employees, contractors and local communities. That is why we do everything we can to avoid accidents, using organisational models to assess and manage risks, implementing training, developing expertise and promoting a culture of safety.

A floating unit for liquefying and exporting gas – and a real technological jewel – Coral Sul FLNG will be the first such on the African continent and the third in the world. Coral Sul FLNG will be 432 m long and 66 m wide, and weigh about 220,000 tonnes overall. The accommodation module will have eight floors with room for 350 people. It will be anchored about 2,000 meters deep, with the help of 20 lines weighing 9,000 tonnes combined. Construction of the main components began in 2018. Construction is taking place in seven working centres around the world.

The Coral South project involves us in local development, far wider than just the oil and gas sector. We have provided specialist training for more than 800 Mozambican workers, who will be employed in the project's operational phase. We are also committed to a huge programme of work for local communities, to improve their access to basic services such as education, clean water and health care, and support long-term, diversified, sustainable socio-economic growth.

In June 2021 eleven young Mozambican engineers left to South Korea for a six month on-the job training program, as a part of the intensive training delivered in the framework of the Coral South project. The training activities cover the most varied areas of Oil & Gas and are designed to meet the need for qualified professionals in Mozambique. A second group of 14 Mozambicans will also start training at a gas facility in Tunisia at the end of June, with other groups already planned in the coming months. The trainees, who recently completed their degree in Maputo and Pemba, are part of the 200 Program launched by Eni in 2014 to facilitate and enhance the participation of national resources in Eni’s energy projects. The training activities were adapted to comply with Covid-19 safety measures while ensuring training quality and continuity. The trainees are traveling to Geoje, in South Korea, where construction activities of the Coral-Sul FLNG are ongoing, for on-the-job training and familiarization with the floating liquefaction plant. During their time abroad, trainees will be involved in daily operation activities, so as to be ready to join the project when Coral South project operations in Mozambique begin in 2022. This initiative aims to enhance local content and skill development in Mozambique and is part of Eni’s commitment to contribute to the social and economic development of the communities and country where it operates.

Eni has never conducted oil and gas exploration and development activities within the boundaries of natural sites included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In May 2019, we formally committed never to do so and officially instated a biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES) policy as part of our transformation journey. We are committed to long-term investment – looking beyond short-term profit to find ways to help create a more sustainable planet – as recognised in our new company mission, which is in turn inspired by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.