Itaian contractor Saipem has been awarded a new offshore contract by Azule Energy for transportation and installation (T&I) services in support of the Greater PAJ project, offshore Angola. The contract, with duration of around 40 months, is worth $1Billion.
Saipem’s scope of work entails the engineering, fabrication, transportation and installation of approximately 180 kilometers of rigid pipelines and subsea facilities, at a water depth reaching up to 2,000 meters. The contract also includes the transportation and installation of 38km of flexible flowlines and jumpers and 54 km of umbilicals.
Fabrication activities will be carried out at Saipem’s Ambriz yard in Angola, with the involvement of local companies and workforce. For the offshore installation campaign, Saipem plans to deploy its construction vessels FDS and Castorone.
The Greater PAJ project is a $5.1Billion deepwater offshore oil development in Angola’s Lower Congo Basin. It is the country’s first integrated cross-block development, tying together five offshore fields (Palas, Astraea, Juno, Urano, and Dione) across Blocks 31 and 31/21.The reservoirs in the areas involved hold a total estimated reserve of 252Million barrels of oil, according to ENI.
The project involves drilling 17 wells tied back to a new Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, which will have a capacity to produce 95,000 barrels of oil per day and export 70Millon standard cubic feet of gas per day. Partners: with Azule Energy, the project’s operator, include Norway’s Equinor, Angola’s state-owned Sonangol E&P, and the Angolan oil and gas agency The Final Investment Decision (FID) was officially greenlit on June 22, 2026 with first oil expected in the first half of 2029.
“The Greater PAJ project, represents one of the most significant ultra-deepwater developments in sub-Saharan Africa” Saipem enthuss in a press release announcing the award.
Azule Energy is an incorporated joint venture owned by the Italian major ENI and the British giant bp.
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