Services companies Technip Energies, JGC and Samsung Heavy Industries have been awarded a contract by Eni-led joint venture Mozambique Rovma Venture to advance the Coral Norte FLNG project offshore Mozambique. The deal reinforces the growing industry shift towards replicable and rapid offshore LNG solutions as developers prioritize low-risk, near-term gas monetization in Africa.
While onshore development has faced delays primarily due to security and financing constraints, Mozambique’s Coral Norte’s entry highlights the strategic advantages of FLNG as a modular, faster-to-market solution that can more reliably deliver offshore gas.
Mozambique’s FLNG gains momentum
Coral Norte is the second FLNG unit deployed in Mozambique and complements the operational Coral Sul unit, which produces approximately 3.4 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). Coral Norte’s production capacity will be 3.6 million tonnes per year, increasing Area 4’s production portfolio to 7 million tonnes per year, strengthening its position as a global LNG exporter.
Initial work on the development of the Coral Norte facility is underway and the vessel will be launched in South Korea in January 2026. For Technip Energies, the recent agreement will enable the company to leverage its engineering expertise to support broader LNG development in Mozambique, building on the contract signed for the Coral Sur project.
Mozambique in a global context
FLNG is rapidly gaining momentum as a strategic gas monetization solution. Global FLNG production capacity is expected to reach 42 million tons per year by 2030 and 55 million tons per year by 2035. FLNG development is progressing rapidly as it relies on replication of proven designs and modular offshore construction.
For example, Coral Norte’s structure replicates Coral Sul’s feed gas composition, field location, and core processing system. Reusing existing engineering designs reduces front-end engineering complexity and reduces project execution risk. It also increases the predictability of schedule and cost estimates. This is an important factor for lenders and takers in a challenging financing environment.
Loïc Chapuis, President of Project Delivery & Services at Technip Energies, explained: “Coral Norte is a clear recognition of Technip Energies’ engineering and project delivery expertise and our ability to replicate proven solutions with discipline and certainty.”
FLNG units also benefit from modular assembly and offshore deployment, which limits reliance on local infrastructure, utilities, and permanent shore-based labor, contributing to faster project delivery times. Eni’s Nguya FLNG unit in Congo was conceived, designed and constructed in 33 months from contract signing to departure, setting a record for time-to-market in the LNG sector and enabling Phase 2 of the Congo LNG project to start ahead of schedule.
On the demand side, Europe continues to have diverse supplies following the Russian gas ban, and Asia remains an important long-term destination for LNG cargoes. In this context, projects that can deliver volumes by 2030 are securing more favorable ordering and financing terms.
FLNG onshore: For short-term projects
While FLNG gains momentum, Mozambique’s onshore LNG projects face significant challenges. The $20 billion Mozambique LNG project, led by TotalEnergies, resumed operations in January this year after several years of force majeure following the security incident in Cabo Delgado. Construction resequencing has pushed first LNG production to 2029, and financing and logistics are now under fresh scrutiny amid global pricing pressures. Similarly, ExxonMobil’s Rovma LNG project has cleared force majeure but faces lengthy civil infrastructure construction, a complex multi-train engineering plan, and a lengthy pre-FID cycle.
Land-based LNG plants require extensive land infrastructure, including ports, roads, public facilities, and employee housing, which increases the risk of execution. Such large-scale construction can also make projects vulnerable to the effects of inflation, labor shortages, and permitting delays, which can have cascading effects on engineering, procurement, and construction schedules. Despite these challenges, momentum is building, with all domestic LNG development restarted.
As Mozambique advances its LNG ambitions both at sea and on land, Coral Norte highlights the appeal of modular and replicable FLNG in a volatile financing and security environment. However, as multi-train onshore projects gradually regain momentum, long-term issues remain. Will FLNG continue to dominate Africa’s near-term gas monetization strategy, or will stable onshore megaprojects finally regain their scale advantage over the next decade?
