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 H.E. 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 increasing its energy market. Based on 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 decarbonization. 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, fertilizer plants and refineries) and conception development for offshore oil and gas field (including technical studies, cost estimation and economic analysis, engineering, execution and management of a floating production, storage and offloading unit and floating LNG). H.E. Minister Itoua said, “Signing the deal in Paris is symbolic. Technip Energies is essential to developing capacity in my country at all levels. The country needs to have skilled people and experts, which is why we are proud to have signed this deal, as it will help us develop capacities.” He added that apart from enhancing project design and development capacity, 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, utilizing their expertise in the areas above. This deal follows a series of advancements across the country’s LNG market, including the inauguration of Eni’s 3 million ton per year Congo LNG project in April this year. As the country moves to establish itself as a regional hub and global exporter, the deal lays the foundation for expanding the domestic LNG market on the back of private-public cooperation and capacity-building efforts. |