LNG Export Growth 2025

November 2025 Production Record

The Angola LNG plant at Soyo recorded a 20% increase in production in November 2025, reaching total output of 5.23 million barrels of oil equivalent for the month. The daily average of 174,456 barrels of oil equivalent — of which 147,358 boe/day was LNG production — marked the facility’s strongest performance since commissioning and validated the multi-year investment in new gas supply connections.

What Changed: New Gas Supply

The production record is directly attributable to new gas supply reaching the Soyo plant:

Sanha Lean Gas Connection

The Sanha Lean Gas Connection achieved first gas in 2024, delivering approximately 80 million standard cubic feet per day of non-associated gas from the Sanha field complex. This connection is designed to fill roughly 40% of the plant’s 1.1 billion cubic feet per day processing capacity and supply gas for 15 years.

The Sanha connection is transformative because it provides dedicated gas supply independent of declining associated gas from mature oil fields. This partially decouples LNG production from Angola’s crude oil decline curve.

New Gas Consortium

A separate New Gas Consortium completed agreements in 2024, with first production expected in 2025. This consortium aggregates gas supplies from multiple blocks, creating additional feedstock for the Soyo plant. The consortium was over 50% complete as of late 2024.

From Underutilisation to Expansion

Prior to these new connections, the Soyo plant operated at approximately 70% utilisation — around 700 million standard cubic feet per day against a nameplate capacity of 1.1 billion cubic feet per day. The chronic undersupply resulted from declining associated gas production at mature fields.

The trajectory has now reversed:

With gas supply approaching nameplate capacity, the operator is now considering expansion — either an additional full-scale train or a mini-train of approximately 3 million tonnes per year, which would lift total capacity toward 8 mtpa.

Export Market Position

In 2023, Angola LNG exported approximately 175 billion cubic feet, with market distribution weighted toward Europe:

The European concentration reflects post-2022 LNG demand growth following the reduction of Russian pipeline gas. France and the United Kingdom are the primary European offtakers. India, absorbing approximately 35 billion cubic feet, is the largest Asian buyer and represents a growth market as Indian LNG import capacity expands.

Revenue Significance

LNG exports provide Angola with hydrocarbon revenue that is partially independent of crude oil production trends. At prevailing European LNG prices, the 175 Bcf of 2023 exports generated estimated revenue of USD 2-4 billion — a significant contribution to the national export base.

As crude oil production declines, LNG becomes an increasingly important revenue stream. The gas monetisation strategy positions gas as Angola’s best opportunity for sustained hydrocarbon income in a market where global LNG demand is growing faster than oil demand.

Eni’s Northern Gas Complex

Additional gas supply infrastructure is under development. Eni (through Azule Energy) is building the Northern Gas Complex — two offshore platforms, an onshore processing plant, and pipelines to Soyo — designed to deliver approximately 141 billion cubic feet per year at peak production. This volume, roughly equivalent to 80% of 2023 LNG exports, would further support expansion.

Implications for Angola’s Energy Strategy

The LNG production milestone has several implications:

1. Revenue diversification within hydrocarbons: Gas income provides a partial hedge against crude oil price and volume decline
2. Expansion justification: Near-capacity operations make the case for additional liquefaction investment
3. Environmental gains: Gas captured for LNG rather than flared reduces emissions and addresses Angola’s international climate commitments
4. Domestic energy: The gas infrastructure can support domestic power generation and industrial use alongside LNG exports
5. Chevron’s Angola future: The LNG plant is increasingly central to Chevron’s Angola strategy

Outlook

Angola LNG is on an upward trajectory for the first time in years. The combination of Sanha gas, New Gas Consortium volumes, and the future Northern Gas Complex positions the plant for sustained full-capacity operations and potential expansion. A final investment decision on additional capacity — likely in 2025 or 2026 — would be the most significant LNG commitment in sub-Saharan Africa in recent years.

For the full analysis, see LNG Angola Operations and the Oil & Gas Tracker.

Sources

• Energy Capital & Power
• PGJ Online
• Chevron — Angola LNG
• US EIA

2025 Production Milestone

Angola LNG, operated by Chevron at the Soyo complex, recorded a 20% production increase by November 2025, with total output reaching 5.23 million barrels of oil equivalent. Daily production averaged 174,456 boe/day, including 147,358 boe/day of LNG specifically. This performance improvement reflects the impact of new upstream gas connections that have increased feedstock availability beyond the historical average of approximately 700 million scf/day (70% of the plant’s 1.1 Bcf/day processing capacity).

Supply Side Drivers

The production growth is driven by multiple new gas supply connections. The Sanha Lean Gas Connection achieved first gas in 2024, delivering approximately 80 million scf/day and expected to fill roughly 40% of plant capacity over a 15-year supply horizon. A new gas consortium, over 50% complete in 2024, targets first production in 2025. Eni’s Northern Gas Complex, with two offshore platforms and an onshore processing plant, projects peak production of approximately 141 Bcf per year of additional gas.

These supply developments support the November 2024 announcement that Angola LNG is considering adding one additional liquefaction train or a 3 mtpa mini-train, which would further increase export capacity and revenue generation. The 2023 export pattern of 175 Bcf total, with 75% to Europe (primarily France and the UK) and 25% to Asia-Pacific (India receiving approximately 35 Bcf), demonstrates the facility’s strategic importance in global LNG markets.

Revenue and Development Impact

LNG export growth directly supports the PDN 2023-2027’s fiscal targets and the broader gas monetization strategy. Revenue from LNG exports contributes to the government’s ability to finance the Estrategia de Longo Prazo Angola 2050, which projects non-oil exports growing from USD 5 billion to USD 64 billion by 2050. While LNG technically falls within the energy sector, its contribution to export diversification beyond crude oil aligns with the strategy’s emphasis on developing multiple revenue streams.

Development Planning Context

This policy area connects to the broader PDN 2023-2027 framework, which is structured around 16 policies, 50 programs, and 284 action priorities across six strategic axes. The plan targets 62 trillion kwanzas in total GDP with non-oil GDP growth of approximately 5% annually, reflecting the government’s commitment to reducing dependence on petroleum revenue. Angola’s 2024 GDP growth of 4.4%, the strongest performance in five years, was driven by both oil and non-oil sectors, with agriculture outpacing GDP growth for four consecutive years and its share of GDP rising from 6.2% in 2010 to 14.9% in 2023. Public debt reduction from over 100% of GDP in 2020 to just above 60% in 2024 demonstrates the fiscal discipline underpinning the development strategy. The Estrategia de Longo Prazo Angola 2050 projects non-oil exports growing from USD 5 billion to USD 64 billion by 2050, with the energy and petroleum sectors providing the transitional revenue base and infrastructure foundation for this economic transformation.

Institutional Framework and Sector Governance

The petroleum sector operates under the institutional architecture established by the Electricity Sector Transformation Process and the separation of ANPG (upstream regulation) from Sonangol (operations) in 2019. This governance reform created a more transparent regulatory environment that has strengthened investor confidence. ANPG manages over 40 concessions across six sedimentary basins, while Sonangol focuses on operational excellence with turnover of USD 10.5 billion, investment of USD 2.4 billion, and production of 201,000 barrels per day in 2024. The five major IOCs operating in Angola, including Chevron, TotalEnergies, Azule Energy (BP/Eni), ExxonMobil, and Equinor, benefit from the clearer regulatory framework as they evaluate new investment commitments in a competitive global exploration environment.

Production Surge and Expansion Plans

In November 2025, Angola LNG recorded total output of 5.23 million barrels of oil equivalent (174,456 boe/day), with LNG production at 147,358 boe/day — a 20% increase over the prior period. The Sanha lean gas connection, achieving first gas in 2024 at approximately 80 million scf/day, will fill roughly 40% of the plant and supply gas for 15 years. Chevron-led Angola LNG is considering one additional train or a mini train of 3 mtpa capacity.

Global LNG Market Position and Competition

Angola LNG’s growth occurs within a rapidly evolving global LNG market where competition for European and Asian buyers intensifies as new supply comes online from Qatar, the United States, Mozambique, and Australia. Angola’s 5.2 mtpa nameplate capacity positions it as a mid-sized player in the global LNG landscape, smaller than Qatar’s 77 mtpa mega-trains or the US Gulf Coast’s combined 90+ mtpa capacity, but significant within the African context.

Angola’s competitive advantages in the global LNG market include geographic proximity to European markets that reduces shipping costs and delivery times compared to US Gulf Coast or Australian suppliers. The SACS submarine cable and historical trade relationships with Portugal and Brazil provide market intelligence and commercial relationships that support LNG marketing. The facility’s operational integration with Chevron’s global LNG trading portfolio provides access to a sophisticated marketing and logistics network.

The expansion consideration, whether an additional full-scale train or a 3 mtpa mini-train, reflects management confidence that gas supply and market demand justify capacity growth. A final investment decision in 2025 or 2026 would be the most significant LNG commitment in Sub-Saharan Africa in recent years, potentially positioning Angola to capture market share as European buyers seek to diversify their supply sources beyond their post-2022 reliance on US LNG.

Environmental Performance and Flaring Reduction

LNG production directly contributes to Angola’s environmental objectives by capturing gas that would otherwise be flared. Gas flaring, the burning of associated gas at crude oil production facilities, represents both a waste of energy resources and a significant source of carbon emissions. Angola has historically been among Africa’s largest gas flarers, and the expansion of gas gathering infrastructure to feed the Soyo plant reduces flaring volumes at offshore platforms.

The Sanha Lean Gas Connection specifically targets non-associated gas, but the broader gas gathering network serving the Soyo plant also captures associated gas from production platforms that would otherwise flare excess gas beyond operational requirements. Each additional cubic foot of gas processed at Soyo rather than flared represents both a revenue gain for the operator and an emissions reduction for Angola’s national greenhouse gas inventory.

International investors increasingly screen energy sector investments against environmental criteria, including flaring intensity and carbon emissions per unit of production. Angola LNG’s role in flaring reduction positions the facility favorably in this assessment, potentially supporting access to sustainability-linked financing for the expansion investment.

Workforce and Supply Chain Development

The Soyo LNG complex is one of Angola’s most technically sophisticated industrial operations, employing hundreds of permanent staff across process operations, maintenance, engineering, and logistics functions. The workforce development pipeline from the facility creates a nucleus of industrial skills that can support Angola’s broader industrialization objectives.

Expansion of the facility would generate additional construction employment during the build phase and permanent operational employment once commissioned. The construction of a new train or mini-train requires specialized skills in modular construction, cryogenic systems, and process safety that, when developed within the Angolan workforce, become transferable to other industrial projects.

The supply chain serving the Soyo complex creates business opportunities for Angolan companies in logistics, catering, facilities management, marine services, and equipment maintenance. As the facility expands, these supply chain opportunities grow proportionally, contributing to the local economic development that the PDN 2023-2027 targets for Zaire Province and the broader northern region.

Long-Term Gas Resource Base and Depletion Profile

The sustainability of Angola LNG’s production growth depends on the gas resource base available to feed the plant over its remaining operational life. The Sanha Lean Gas Connection provides a 15-year supply horizon, and the New Gas Consortium adds additional volumes. Eni’s Northern Gas Complex, with peak capacity of approximately 141 Bcf per year, represents the largest single new supply source under development.

Beyond these identified projects, Angola’s offshore basins contain additional gas resources, both associated gas from oil production and non-associated gas accumulations, that could sustain or expand LNG production into the 2040s and beyond. The ANPG licensing program includes gas prospectivity as a criterion for block evaluation, and successful exploration wells that discover gas-bearing formations contribute to the long-term supply security for the Soyo complex.

However, the decline in associated gas production as mature oil fields deplete creates a structural risk that dedicated gas supply projects must offset. The transition from associated gas dependency to non-associated gas supply, exemplified by the Sanha connection, represents a fundamental shift in the gas sector’s supply architecture that enables LNG production to decouple from the oil production decline curve. This decoupling is essential for maintaining LNG as a growing revenue stream even as crude oil output continues its structural decline from the 2008 peak of approximately 2 million barrels per day.

Domestic Gas Allocation and Power Sector Synergies

The LNG production growth creates a strategic allocation decision between maximizing LNG export revenue and supplying domestic gas-to-power requirements. The gas-to-power transition targets 1.9 GW of gas-fired capacity under the Angola Energia 2025 framework, requiring reliable domestic gas supply to displace costly diesel generation. The Soyo complex’s processing infrastructure serves both markets through the same facility, with gas allocated to the LNG train for export and to domestic pipelines for power generation based on commercial and policy priorities. Balancing these competing demands, particularly during periods of high international LNG prices when the opportunity cost of domestic allocation increases, requires a clear pricing and allocation framework that the Ministry of Energy and PRODEL must develop in coordination with Chevron and the upstream operators supplying the gas.