Liquified natural gas (LNG) producer Angola LNG on Wednesday announced the sale of the first liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cargo from its Angola-based $10-billion plant – a facility built to exploit the offshore gas resources of the second-largest oil producing country in sub-Saharan Africa.

The first cargo from the plant, in Soyo, was sold to Angola’s State oil and gas company Sonangol on a free-on-board basis and shipped by LPG carrier BW Broker.

All LPG and condensate products from the facility, which had an expected life of at least 30 years, had been committed for sale to the shareholder affiliates of the company.

Angola LNG was an incorporated joint venture between Sonangol and energy companies Chevron, British Petroleum, Eni and Total, which would gather and process gas to deliver 5.2-million tons-a-year of LNG and natural gas liquids.

The company said in a statement that the LPG and condensate jetty were commissioned immediately prior to the start of loading operations, with commissioning including the testing of safety devices, mooring arrangements and loading arms.

Commenting on the first cargo, Angola LNG Marketing CEO Artur Pereira said, in addition to LNG production for international markets, propane, butane and condensate production at Angola LNG formed an important part of the producer’s operational and commercial activity.

“Our LPG and condensate production will help to supply both domestic and export markets with their energy needs,” he noted.

In addition to its LNG facilities, the liquids infrastructure at Angola LNG's production plant included storage tanks for 88 000 m3 of propane, 59 000 m3 of butane and 108 000 m3 of condensate.

It also had a jetty dedicated to propane, butane and condensate loading and a second jetty for pressurised butane loadings, which would serve the domestic market.