Construction has commenced in China on the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) topside destined for an ultra-deepwater development in Angola, led by Azule Energy—a joint venture between Italy’s Eni and the UK’s BP.
This ambitious project, known as the Greater PAJ project, marks a significant milestone as Angola’s first integrated cross-block development. With first oil projections set for the first half of 2029, this development will amalgamate five offshore fields across two separate blocks—Palas, Astraea, Juno in Block 31, and Urano, Dione in Block 31/21.
The first steel cutting ceremony was recently held at Haiyang CIMC Raffles’ Haiyang yard in China, heralding the start of the topside construction phase. This ceremonial occasion symbolizes the shared dedication of Azule Energy, its partners, and the CIMC Raffles team, reflecting their commitment to delivering a state-of-the-art floating production facility on schedule for the nation of Angola.
Remarkably, this construction phase comes just one month after the project’s final investment decision (FID). The ceremony brought together key representatives from Azule Energy and CIMC Raffles, celebrating a momentous step in the path toward delivering a world-class facility for the Angolan waters.
The Greater PAJ project is strategically located about 200 kilometers offshore Angola, situated in water depths ranging from 1,500 to 2,000 meters. Essential to this concept is the establishment of 17 wells, which will be interconnected to a new FPSO vessel boasting a nameplate capacity of 95,000 barrels of oil per day. Additionally, the facility is engineered to have a gas export capacity of 70 million standard cubic feet of gas per day. This gas will be delivered to the Angola LNG (ALNG) plant via a newly constructed gas export line, effectively tying into the existing Block 31 gas export network.
Notably, Saipem has been awarded a significant contract valued at $1 billion for this project. The contract includes the engineering, fabrication, transportation, and installation of approximately 180 kilometers of rigid pipelines and subsea facilities. Furthermore, it encompasses the transportation and installation of 38 kilometers of flexible flowlines, jumpers, and umbilicals. In another notable development, TechnipFMC has secured a contract focused on the design and manufacture of flexible flowlines and risers, connecting the targeted wells in water depths nearing 2,000 meters to the new floating production unit (FPU).
Meanwhile, Baker Hughes is set to provide vital subsea production systems tailored for the project, while Vallourec will deliver over 26,000 tons of seamless carbon steel line pipes. The orchestration of these various components underpins the broader objective to maximize production capabilities while ensuring environmental sustainability and efficiency in the extraction processes.
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