A Look At Our Neighbour: Angola LNG plant at standstill until mid 2015

The Angola LNG natural gas liquefaction unit is expected to re-launch production only in mid 2015, said a spokesman for US oil group Chevron.

This project, which cost over US$10 billion, has faced huge challenges in loading ships with liquid natural gas (LNG) due to a succession of technical problems, such as a rig sinking, fires, leaks and most recently a broken cable.

“Following the investigation of the accident that occurred on 10 April 2014 the company has decided to bring forward a planned halt in operations in order to allow contractor Bechtel to correct the problems and deal with others related to the unit’s production capacity,” the spokesman said cited by financial news agency Bloomberg.

Last April, financial news agency Reuters reported that Angola LNG was attempting to lease out its entire fleet, which was the first sign that the Soyo unit would be at a standstill for a considerable period.

Angola LNG is a partnership between the Chevron group, with 36.4 percent, Angolan state oil and gas group Sonangol, with 22.8 percent, and the remainder is split between Total, BP and ENI. (macauhub/AO)