Congo’s Ministry of Hydrocarbons signed a cooperation agreement with French energy services provider Technip Energies during the Invest in African Energy Forum in Paris
Signed by Minister Bruno Jean-Richard Itoua and Technip Energies COO Marco Villa, the deal will see the parties expand cooperation on capacity building in the fields of onshore and offshore energy developments at a time when the central African country is looking at expanding its energy market.
As per the terms of the agreement, Technip Energies will provide its expertise to strengthen both the Ministry’s and the national oil company’s capacities regarding energy transition principles, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), zero carbon energy solutions, and decarbonisation.
More specifically, the deal covers areas such as process engineering (including oil and water treatment facilities and gas processing facilities); offshore and onshore platforms and installations (including semi-submersible rigs, LNG trains, fertiliser plants and refineries) and conception development for an offshore oil and gas field (including technical studies, cost estimation and economic analysis, engineering, execution and management of an floating production, storage and offloading unit and floating LNG).“Signing the deal in Paris is symbolic. Technip Energies is essential to developing capacity in my country at all levels. It is essential for the country to have skilled people and experts which is why we are proud to have signed this deal, as it will help us develop capacities. We hope that this partnership will give more space to Technip Energies in the Congo and we will continue to give incentives to companies to work with Technip Energies and come into the country,” stated Itoua.
Apart from enhancing capacity in project design and development, the agreement allows Congo to harness Technip Energies' proficiency in health, safety, and environmental studies. The French energy service provider will facilitate personnel training in all aspects of development, utilising their expertise in the aforementioned areas.
“This is an important step for our presence in the continent and I can assure you that we will fulfil our commitments. It is part of our strategic commitment to be close to the country from the concept phase to the end of the development,” added Villa.
The deal follows a series of advancements seen across the country’s LNG market including the inauguration of the 3 mn ton per year Congo LNG project by Eni in April. As the country moves to establish itself as both a regional hub and global exporter, the deal lays the foundation for the expansion of the domestic LNG market on the back of private-public cooperation and capacity building efforts.
