Powering an LNG mega project’s construction phase

This EPC Joint Venture required power for the construction phase of their customer’s $20 billion onshore LNG facility project. The facility is situated in an extremely remote coastal area of Mozambique - 450km from the nearest city, Pemba. 

With no grid power available, they needed Aggreko to provide power for the construction phase, beginning in June 2024. To ensure we understood the full complexity of the task in hand, we engaged with the Joint Venture early in the process and advised them on each phase of the project and associated requirement.

Both partners of the JV had worked with Aggreko before and were confident of our expertise and track record in support O&G project as well as local knowledge of this region.

Aggreko’s local subsidiary in Mozambique have delivered over 200MW of power since establishing in 2012 and was a key differentiator in been awarded this mega project.

Initially, 32MW was required for the main power plant and 5 standalone gensets were needed for remote construction areas.

The power capacity was adjusted upwards following a change in the project timescales to 36MW reflecting the extra power needed for the camp contractors which would reach a peak of approximately 18,000.

After looking at the initial load profile we worked together with the operators to devise flexible deployment of our fleet on a call off basis. Aggreko fleet adheres to a global standard and so can be easily mobilised and commissioned in phases with cable lengths and points of connection being standard. This ensured that we could tailor the capacity output to the customer’s changing load demand.

Once on site the Aggreko power plant is automatically run by plc and scada systems which switch on and off gensets as the load demand changes over the day. Accurately matching the loading of the gensets drastically improves fuel efficiency and minimises spinning reserve.

 It also minimises wear on the gensets and reduces the risk of failure. This data is consolidated in our Aggreko Remote Monitoring (ARM) system and the results constantly reviewed with the customer to optimise the solution on site over the project duration.

Aggreko had successfully deployed this flexible model providing 60MW another EPC JV in Qatar LNG construction in 2007 and it had been proven to deliver efficiency and significant capacity and fuel savings. The initial power supply included12 MW for construction of the worker’s accommodation area. The remaining 48 MW will be supplied in stages.

This new project in Mozambique will be the biggest project in onshore Oil & Gas in the last 5 years, due to the 180 TCF of gas reserves that will be processed. It will be hugely significant to Mozambique, providing a much-needed kickstart to the local economy.

Thanks to our truly global presence, we are able to source equipment from multiple Aggreko hubs across Africa including Angola, South Africa, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, and Dubai.

Further to providing Power with our equipment and expertise, and to help the JV with their commitment in creating opportunities for Mozambican business and the local workforce we created an internship programme to identify and upskill Mozambique nationals to work on the project in various operational, technical and management functions.

At the peak of the project, there will be 40 Aggreko staff onsite, and all HV commissioning will be carried out by local workers who have been trained by us.

Not all roles can be filled immediately by local staff, so we have put in place a plan whereby skilled expatriates will train locals so they can take over the roles later in the project, Aggreko has committed to the JV that it will achieve at least 86% of our project workforce being Mozambicans.

To achieve this, a full programme, has been devised to provide 30,000 hours of training and is reporting on this progress to the Joint Venture monthly on the progress of the local workforce.

We recognise that the localisation of talent provides many benefits to the Joint Venture and to the local community. Aggreko is creating employment both directly, through the hiring of company staff and the purchase of goods and services, and indirectly through the employment, subcontracting and procurement activities of our contractors and suppliers, and through wider economic effects.

Aggreko will deliver on time and on budget with industry leading reliability and fuel consumption over the life of the project. Our teams remain flexible to changes while always strictly adhering to the QHSE demands of this project.

As the project continues, new challenges will no doubt be presented, and we are continuing to work hand in hand with the Joint Venture to keep the project on track from a power perspective and ensure success.

Our commitment to upskilling nationals and imparting knowledge from expatriate workers will boost the local economy both now and well into the future.