Area 4: Consultant Promises to Take All Environmental Concerns Into Account in the Coral North Project
All concerns about probable environmental impacts of the implementation of the second floating platform for natural gas exploration in the Rovuma basin (Coral Norte), Cabo Delgado province, will be carefully analysed.
The assurance was given last Friday (30), in Maputo, by the company responsible for the Environmental Impact Study (EIA), during the first public consultation session with stakeholders, including civil society and government institutions.
The participants identified gaps in the initial draft, calling for more attention to be paid to safeguarding environmental, economic and above all social interests, for the benefit of local communities.
Questions were also raised about the immediate impacts on the economy, specifically in the recruitment of labour to work in the various phases of the project.
Consultec, the company responsible for the EIA, made it known that the document made available is a non-technical summary of the Environmental Pre-Feasibility and Scoping Study (EPDA), legally required under national legislation on oil projects.
According to the project coordinator at Consultec, Emanuel Viçoso, so far no fatal issues have been identified, namely unacceptable environmental and social risks, which could compromise the viability of the deployment of the second floating platform in the Rovuma basin.
“The impacts found can be properly and successfully managed through the application of appropriate measures for their mitigation, a task to be developed in subsequent phases,” assured the coordinator.
The consultant assured that after this stage the specialty studies will follow, the preparation of the EIA and a second round of public consultation, before the final document is submitted for final approval aimed at obtaining the environmental license for the operation.
“The EPDA aims to determine potential fatal issues associated with the project that may compromise its viability and define the scope of the environmental assessment to be carried out at the EIA stage, through the preparation of the Terms of Reference, where the necessary specialised studies are defined,” Consultec said.
Also during the meeting, some potentially significant social and environmental impacts were presented, such as atmospheric and noise emissions. Meanwhile, the mitigation measures that may be included in the Environmental Impact Study are known.
The public consultation process will continue next Tuesday (4) in the city of Pemba, Cabo Delgado province, where individuals closer to the areas covered by the North Coral project are expected for another session that will dictate the final scope to be presented to the Government.
The Coral Norte project will be developed in Area 4, a hydrocarbon prospection and production block located in the deep waters of the Rovuma basin operated by Mozambique Rovuma Venture (MRV).
Eni Rovuma Basin (ERB) is the delegated operator of the project. Area 4 is operated by Mozambique Rovuma Venture (MRV), a joint venture co-owned by ExxonMobil, Eni and CNPC (China), which holds a 70% participating interest in the concession contract. Galp, Kogas (South Korea) and Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos (Mozambique) each have a 10% stake.
In Area 4 significant recoverable natural gas resources were discovered, including the Coral Sul reservoir, where a floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) production plant, called Coral Sul, is already in operation.
