Exmar Deploys Floating LNG Terminal in Ivory Coast
The Belgian shipping company Exmar has signed agreements to supply and operate a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The facility will have a storage capacity of 152,000 cubic meters and allow the country to receive shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG). LNG imports are scheduled to begin during the third quarter of 2027.
The project is expected to generate an estimated annual EBITDA of approximately $21.3 million for Exmar. The company's CEO stated that this project underscores their floating infrastructure solutions as a competitive and rapidly marketable solution for ensuring strategic energy supply.
Petroci, the state-owned oil company in Ivory Coast, will be responsible for acquiring LNG on the international market. They will send shipments to the FSRU, where the fuel can be stored and regasified before being delivered to CI-Energies. This scheme will allow the incorporation of imported gas into the energy system of Ivory Coast as a complement to domestic production.
The floating terminal will provide an additional and flexible source of natural gas at a time when the country's energy consumption continues to rise, driven by economic and demographic expansion, as well as the development of sectors such as mining. The demand for natural gas and electricity in Ivory Coast is growing with the country's economic development.