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The firm announced plans to invest in the project in a statement issued on Tuesday saying the project will be available to the entire South African Power Pool (SAPP).
According to Karpowership, this project would not only enhance the country’s domestic energy landscape but also that of the wider SAPP by providing “reliable and low-cost” electricity to 5 million people.
Karpowership’s existing gas-to-power projects are located in both Ghana and Brazil.
FSRU and Powership
Similar to its project in Brazil, the new initiative would feature a natural gas-powered facility with a capacity of up to 500 MW, including one of the largest Powerships in the world and a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), it said.
Karpowership did not reveal the name of the FSRU.
This latest development builds on Karpowership’s existing partnership with Mozambique, where it began operations in 2016, providing land-locked Zambia 115 MW of electricity, it said.
Harnessing its domestic gas resources, the project creates new opportunities for Mozambique and the wider region, the firm said.
The project provides a “reliable” energy source to Mozambique’s own electricity utility company, Electricidade de Mozambique (EdM), or for export to public and private entities in the neighboring countries within the SAPP region, including Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and others.
Karpowership’s collaboration with EdM on Mozambique’s domestic power supply has already seen “substantial progress.”
Currently, the company supplies electricity through its Powership operating in Nacala Bay – contributing to the country’s energy security and economic growth, since 2018, it said.
The company recently showcased one of their Powerships – identical to the one planned for this new venture – at the Port of Maputo, providing attendees with an insight into their fast, flexible power solution.
The ship in question is KPS Onur Sultan.
“Karpowership is proud to serve as a committed partner to Mozambique and we are thrilled to be deepening that relationship, creating a vehicle together that will power the wider region from Mozambique – addressing regional electricity deficits and enhancing economic activity,” said Zeynep Harezi Yılmaz, Karpowership’s chief operating officer.
Karpowership’s LNG business
Earlier this year, Singapore’s Seatrium secured a contract from Karpowership to convert three LNG carriers into floating storage and regasification units.
The conversion deal includes an option for a fourth LNG carrier.
Scheduled to start in the second quarter of this year, this contract is a succession of FSRU conversions executed by Seatrium for Karpowership.
These include Karmol LNGT Powership Africa, Karmol LNGT Powership Asia, and Karmol LNGT Powership Europe.
KARMOL is a joint venture of Karpowership and Japan’s MOL.
The company’s first FSRU Karmol LNGT Powership Africa departed Singapore in March 2021.
Karpowership aims to expand its activities into the natural gas, biomethane, hydrogen, and LNG space by leveraging its experience with floating energy infrastructure.
The company launched its first LNG-to-power project in Indonesia in 2020.
In September 2023, it signed a memorandum of understanding with Argentina-based Galileo Technologies to develop solutions in the FLNG sector and also other areas.
In December the same year, the firm joined forces with Pertamina International Shipping (PIS), a shipping unit of Indonesia’s state-owned energy firm Pertamina, to develop LNG infrastructure.
Most recently, the firm joined forces with Brazil’s Petrobras to combine their expertise in the LNG and power sectors.
