Angola LNG’s 5.2mn t/yr Soyo liquefaction plant has been forced to shut down as a result of technical problems.
"The plant has experienced technical issues that have caused an unplanned interruption to production," the operator said today. "No injuries or fire were caused as a result of this unplanned interruption, and the plant was safely shut down in a controlled manner."
Angola LNG did not comment on the nature or length of the outage, but a source familiar with the project said the plant was shut following an explosion. Shareholders in Angola LNG — Chevron, Angola's state-owned Sonangol, Italy's Eni, BP, and Total — either declined or could not be reached for comment.
Market sources indicated in early April that the plant was shutting for a short maintenance period of a few days, but this unexpected technical issue could shut the plant for much longer. Angola LNG was expected to issue a sell tender for another cargo last week.
Angola LNG added that the new unexpected issues were being addressed as part of commissioning and testing for a ramp-up to full production.
Majority shareholder Chevron said earlier this year that the Angola LNG plant would not reach full production until 2015. The plant has tendered five cargoes so far this year.
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