The President of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, met the CEO of Eni, Claudio Descalzi, in Brazzaville today. The meeting was attended by the Minister of Hydrocarbons, Bruno Jean Richard Itoua, the General Director of SNPC (Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo) Maixent Raoul Ominga, and the COO Natural Resources of Eni Guido Brusco.
During the meeting, Descalzi illustrated to the President the progress of the Congo LNG project, which since February this year - just 12 months after authorization - has started exporting liquefied gas from the country, contributing to the global energy market and including Congo among the LNG exporting countries. With the second phase of the project, which will start at the end of 2025, gas exports from Congo will rise to 4.5 billion per year.
The President of the Republic of Congo and the CEO also discussed agri-feedstock production projects for biorefining underway in the country following the start-up of the first Agri-Hub, and other initiatives in the field of energy transition. Among these, the distribution of improved cookstoves which replace traditional biomass devices, contribute to significantly reducing the impact on forests and allow to generate carbon credits. Cookstove distribution has already begun in Pointe Noire and Brazzaville and will be extended to other provinces throughout 2024.
Finally, Descalzi and the President discussed the most recent sustainability initiatives, including phase 3 of the Hinda Integrated Project which guarantees access to water, medical care and education for approximately 25,000 beneficiaries, support for high schools, aimed at improving technical and professional training, and the Fishermen Project, which involves the construction of a modern artisanal fishing complex to improve the value chain of fishery products.
Eni has been present in Congo for over 50 years. To date, it is the only company involved in the development of the huge gas resources of the Republic of Congo, and supplies gas to the Central Electricity of Congo (CEC), which guarantees 70% of the country's electricity production.
