The Republic of Congo’s national oil company Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo (SNPC) has outlined its forthcoming Gas Master Plan (GMP) designed to serve as a roadmap to developing the country’s gas resources for domestic and export markets.

The plan was presented by Bi-Dia-Ayo Ibata, head of Associations Division and Supervisory Relations at SNPC, during a Vision Congo & Gas Master Plan technical session ahead of the inaugural Congo Energy & Investment Forum in Brazzaville. The event took place on March 25-26 and was organised by Energy Capital & Power (ECP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Hydrocarbons of the Republic of Congo under the patronage of President Denis Sassou Nguesso and with support by SNPC.

The GMP aims to boost gas usage, attract foreign investment, lessen reliance on oil revenues, and enhance the country's power grid, ECP said in a press release on March 25.

According to Ibata, the GMP will be used to develop an exploration strategy in the short- and long-term to contribute to the development of natural resources and economic diversification. “The five main objectives are resource maximisation, economic growth and diversification, social benefits, government revenue and attracting investment,” Ibata was quoted as saying.

The GMP emphasises that gas-to-power should remain Congo’s priority, with affordable gas prices supporting sustainable economic growth. It also suggests developing new industrial projects and LPG supply solutions. A natural gas aggregator could be established to balance the domestic market and support strategic sectors, with SNPC potentially fulfilling this role. Additionally, the plan highlights the need for a comprehensive natural gas policy to guide sector expansion.

During the session, the Ministry of Hydrocarbons delivered a presentation on Congo’s gas potential, outlining how a national strategy could enhance production, advance project development, and drive the country’s electrification efforts.

“The strategic objective of this strategy is to increase production of liquid and gas hydrocarbons. We aim to valorise hydrocarbons by taking profit from exports and local processing,” said Hippolyte Tchininanga, director general of Gas Valorisation at the Ministry of Hydrocarbons.

The ministry also presented its vision for a new Gas Code aiming to create an attractive environment for foreign investment. The Gas Code, scheduled to be released soon, will govern the regulations for natural gas exploration and development (E&D) in the country.

According to administrative and legal advisor at the Ministry of Hydrocarbons, Faida Ebenga, the scope of the new Gas Code will include exploration activities, development, exploitation, aggregation, collection, transport and storage of natural gas. “Approval of the Gas Code is imminent. We consider the Gas Code ready to be transmitted to the Secretary General of the government for approval,” Ebenga said.

Congo is becoming increasingly attractive for international upstream companies. Italy’s supermajor Eni is the operator and lead developer of Congo LNG, the country’s first natural gas liquefaction project, using natural gas from the Marine XII permit for domestic power generation and LNG exports. Phase 1 was initiated in December 2023 with the deployment of the Tango floating LNG (FLNG) unit with a liquefaction capacity of 0.6mn tonnes per year (tpy). The first LNG shipment occurred in February 2024, marking the country's entry into the LNG export market.

Phase 2 of the project involves the construction of the Nguya FLNG facility, which was launched in November 2024 at China's Wison shipyard. This unit will add 2.4mn tpy to the project's capacity, bringing the total to 3mn tpy by the end of 2025 and providing 70% of the country’s electricity generation from natural gas.

“Phase 2 is being executed right now. As part of the project, we aim to have 38 new wells in development. We want to install six new wellhead platforms, one new separation and boosting hub, a new onshore gas pre-treatment plant, two FLNG facilities and finally have a liquefaction capacity of 3 million tonnes per annum,” Eni Congo technical director Alberto Nocerino said.

Eni’s involvement is key to monetising Congo’s gas resources, reducing flaring, and expanding Africa’s LNG market. As recently reported by NewsBase, in a deal announced on March 19, Eni agreed to sell a 25% stake in the Congo LNG project to global energy trader Vitol for $1.65bn, as part of its strategy to secure rapid returns from high-potential ventures.