Rosneft, ExxonMobil clinch Mozambique blocks

MOSCOW, October 29, 2015 – Rosneft and partner ExxonMobil were awarded the rights to three blocks in Mozambique’s latest licensing round, the state-owned Russian company announced on Thursday. The African nation is hoping to join the ranks of global LNG exporters.

The partners were awarded blocks A5-B in the Angoche Basin as well as Z5-C and Z5-D in the Zambezi Basin. Rosneft and ExxonMobil will continue negotiations with Mozambique’s government to hammer out the conditions of participation.

ExxonMobil is expected to be the operator the three contract areas. The two companies have previously collaborated with other another on the Sakhalin-1 project in Russia.

Mozambique’s National Petroleum Institute offered a total of 15 blocks in the country’s fifth licensing round, which attracted multinational energy companies such as Eni, Sasol and Statoil. The blocks that were available during the licensing round included offshore Rovuma, Angoche and Zambezi as well as onshore Pande-Temane and Palmeira.