MAPUTO, Nov 13 – Mozambique’s National Hydrocarbons Company (ENH) and the Republic of Mozambique Pipeline Company (ROMPCO) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance the development of a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Inhassoro, Inhambane province.
The agreement was signed in Maputo on November 12, the second day of the Africa Gas & LNG Summit, by ENH Chairman of the Board Rudêncio Morais and Rompco Chief Executive Officer Mlandzeni Boyce.
The proposed facility forms part of Mozambique’s efforts to expand its natural gas infrastructure, strengthen domestic distribution capacity and improve connections between its gas-producing regions and regional consumer markets.
“The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding represents Mozambique’s commitment to development and transformation based on natural gas,” Morais said. “This infrastructure is crucial for the distribution and use of gas in the country and the region.”
Rompco will provide technical advice during the project development phase, making its operational and engineering expertise available to the project implementers. The arrangement follows a separate MoU signed between ENH and Sasol the previous day to assess the feasibility of the wider LNG infrastructure development.
Boyce said the agreement builds on more than two decades of cooperation and trust between the two companies.
Rompco operates an approximately 865-kilometre natural gas pipeline connecting Temane, in Inhassoro, to Secunda in South Africa. The system transports gas produced at Mozambique’s Pande and Temane fields and provides the company with experience in cross-border pipeline operations.
ENH Director of New Business Rijcard Manuel said the partnership would help apply that expertise to Mozambique’s expanding energy infrastructure requirements.
“We want to capitalise on this extensive experience in pipeline management and operation to meet the country’s needs. We want to build greater capacity to respond to the growing challenges of industrialisation and make Mozambique a leading energy hub in the region,” Manuel said.
Infrastructure concession covers Inhassoro and Beira
The MoU is part of a broader framework established by ENH to move the FSRU project towards development. The project is expected to support the delivery of natural gas from the Rovuma Basin to additional consumer markets.
The Mozambican government awarded the project concession in August, covering the installation of strategic infrastructure at the Port of Beira and in Inhassoro. The initiative is intended to strengthen the country’s capacity to receive and transport natural gas while improving integration across its energy infrastructure.
The concession also provides for the construction and operation of a pipeline system in Inhassoro, including a connection at Temane to the existing pipeline linking Mozambique and South Africa.
State-owned companies establish gas logistics platform
The project builds on institutional arrangements established in April, when ENH signed a shareholders’ agreement with Electricity of Mozambique (EDM), Mozambique Ports and Railways (CFM) and the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric Plant (HCB).
The agreement established Serviços de Logística Integrada de Gás Natural de Moçambique, S.A. (SLIGM), alongside a Joint Development Agreement. The two instruments provide the foundation for the development, financing and installation of the integrated gas infrastructure platform.
ENH also holds a 40% participating interest in Rompco through the Mozambican Pipeline Company (CMG). South African company iGas holds another 40%, while Sasol owns the remaining 20%.
The involvement of Rompco in the FSRU development connects Mozambique’s planned LNG infrastructure with an established cross-border gas transportation system, potentially supporting wider distribution and regional energy integration.
