After years of declining or stable domestic natural gas production, the Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo Brazzaville, began exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the first time when the first phase of a floating gas project was launched. Two-phase LNG (FLNG).
The project began operations in February 2024. The development of LNG export capacity will allow the country to monetize natural gas production that was previously flared or reinjected into oil wells.
Congo Brazzaville had approximately 10 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven natural gas reserves as of early 2024, according to data from the Oil & Gas Journal . Before the FLNG facility began operations, any natural gas production that was not consumed domestically was flared or reinjected into crude oil wells to improve crude oil recovery.
According to the Group of world BankCongo Brazzaville burned about 64 billion cubic feet (64 Bcf) of natural gas in 2022, more than four times its national natural gas production in 2022.
In 2024, the Italian energy company Eni, the project operator, completed the first phase of Congo Brazzaville’s first LNG export project. The Tango FLNG facility exported its first cargo of LNG at the end of February 2024, as Eni announced on February 27.
The Tango FLNG facility has a production capacity of 29 Bcf per year. The second, larger facility will have a production capacity of approximately 115 Bcf per year and is close to the Marine XII block, the source of natural gas supply. The second facility is under construction and is scheduled to begin operation in 2025.
