Eni is advancing plans to double its Mozambique LNG output to 7 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) by developing the Coral Norte project in the Rovuma Basin, with first production targeted for 2028. The Italian major is also studying a third floating LNG platform with a capacity exceeding 5 million tonnes per annum, which would further expand its footprint in one of Africa's most significant gas provinces.
To supply the Coral Norte project, Eni plans to begin drilling up to six wells in November 2026. The drilling campaign represents a concrete next step in the company's Rovuma development sequence, building on the operational experience accumulated through the Coral Sul FLNG facility, which has been producing since 2022. The combined output from Coral Sul and Coral Norte would bring Eni's total Mozambican LNG capacity to 7 mtpa, positioning the country as a more substantial supplier to Asian markets at a time when LNG demand and energy security concerns are driving long-term offtake interest across the region.
The Coral Norte development remains at planning and commitment stage — wells have not yet been spudded and the third platform is still under study rather than sanctioned. Norwegian service companies should treat this as a project to monitor closely and pursue early relationship-building with Eni's procurement and project teams, rather than responding to active tenders. The timeline to first production in 2028 suggests that FEED, pre-FEED, and early contractor engagement windows are likely to open within the next 12 to 18 months for the well campaign, with FLNG platform contracting decisions on a longer horizon.
Mozambique's Rovuma Basin has already demonstrated the technical and commercial viability of floating LNG in deepwater frontier conditions through Coral Sul. The prospect of a third FLNG unit — if sanctioned — would represent a substantial incremental demand for subsea infrastructure, drilling services, mooring and marine systems, and LNG-specific engineering. Norwegian companies with Coral Sul references or analogous deepwater FLNG experience in comparable environments are well positioned to engage early. The six-well drilling program planned for late 2026 is the nearest-term concrete activity and the most actionable opportunity for drilling and well services providers to track.
The broader strategic context reinforces the project's resilience. Asian buyers' appetite for long-term LNG supply contracts, combined with ongoing scrutiny of supply route diversification, supports the commercial rationale for Coral Norte even in a volatile gas price environment. Eni's willingness to advance a major capital program in Mozambique — despite the security challenges that have constrained other operators in the basin — signals institutional confidence in the project's fundamentals. For Norwegian service firms, Mozambique's Rovuma Basin warrants priority positioning ahead of what could become one of the largest FLNG development cycles on the African continent.
